Investigating the Construct Validity of Self-Compassion Using a Multimethod Approach

Self-compassion has emerged as a relatively new construct in the psychological sciences, and brought with it potential as an additional psychological dimension of health and well-being (Neff, 2003a; Zessin, Dickhaüser, & Garbade, 2015). Neff's Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; Neff, 2003b) is the most widely-used questionnaire to assess this construct, though has been challenged on the basis of its psychometric properties (Castilho, Pinto-Gouveia, & Duarte, 2015). Ongoing research continues to refute these concerns with the scale's psychometrics (Neff, 2016). To potentially grow the empirical support of the SCS as a meaningful aspect of psychological functioning, exploration of construct validity via multimethod approaches and predictive utility is indicated. The current study investigated self-compassion of recently-separated adults (N = 137) at study entry as assessed using the SCS, which were rated from multiple sources (self and observer) and obtained from multiple sources (in-laboratory and naturalistic environment). The study followed participants over an average of five months, collecting psychological distress measures at five visits, each one month apart. I found preliminary evidence that initial levels of observer-rated self-compassion predict later self-reported psychological functioning, replicating a prior finding in the literature (Sbarra, Smith, & Mehl, 2012), and may do so over and above one's own self-rated self-compassion. Predictive models indicated meaningful effects of particular psychological covariates, such as depression, attachment style, and self-esteem, which may play a role in the relationship between self-compassion and psychological functioning. This research expands current knowledge on self-compassion as a psychological construct and its potential as a protective factor against psychological maladjustment following a major life stressor