Psychometric characteristics of the Persian version of the State Self-Compassion Scale in patients with cardiovascular diseases

Assessing self-compassion as a beneficial psychological feature and a compassionate mindset can only be accomplished with a valid and reliable instrument that facilitates convenient utilization in experimental or therapeutic settings. The State Self-Compassion Scale (SSCS), although possessing the aforementioned characteristics, has not yet undergone psychometric testing in clinical communities. Thus, the current study was undertaken to culturally adapt and psychometrically evaluate the Persian version of this scale in cardiovascular patients. A multicenter methodological study was performed from June to January 2025 in collaboration with Shahroud and Mazandaran Universities of Medical Sciences. Construct validity was evaluated via exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) involving two independent, randomized cohorts of 204 cardiovascular patients. Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficients enabled the assessment of internal consistency. The levels of measurement invariance-configural, metric, scalar, and means-were sequentially assessed by sex. After removing items 3, 7, and 9, the EFA with maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) and Promax rotation identified three factors. The CFA also verified the suitable fit of the data with the three-factor model obtained. Values exceeding 0.8 for Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficients indicated acceptable internal consistency across all factors. Changes ≤0.010 in the comparative fit index and changes ≤0.015 in the root mean square error of approximation at all levels indicated measurement invariance of the Persian version of the mentioned scale. The satisfactory psychometric characteristics of the Persian version of the SSCS suggest its suitability for assessing this concept in Iranian cardiovascular patients.