A validation study of the self-compassion scale-short form (SCS-SF) with ant colony optimization in a Turkish sample

Abstract

The general purpose of this studyis to validatethe Turkish version of the short form of Self- Compassion Scale by Ant Colony Optimization. For this purpose, data were collected from two different samples. Sample-1 (N=398) and Sample-2 (N=233) consist of young and middle-aged adults. Short form was created by selecting the most suitable items for unidimensional, two-factor correlated, six-factor correlated, six-factor higher-order, bifactor- CFA and bifactor-ESEM factor structures over Sample-1, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis and omega reliability findings were obtained. After the determination of the bifactor-ESEM with Sample-1 as the best factor structure, the model data fits and reliability indices of the relevant factor structure were cross-validatedon Sample-2. Strict measurement invariance was establishedbetween age groups. The results indicate that the SCS-SF developed in this studyis a valid and reliable measurement tool with a bifactor-ESEM structure with 12 items, 6 specific factors, and a general factor.