Frequently Asked Questions For Researchers

Yes! Permissions and copies of the scales are available here: http://self-compassion.org/self-compassion-scales-for-researchers/. You will find copies of multiple forms of the self-compassion scale, including the full length (26 items), short form (12 items), state scale long and short forms (18 and 6 items), youth scale (17 items), and compassion for others scale.

Additionally, you will find empirical articles about each scale that explain the psychometric properties of the scale and its development.

To support your research, you might consider exploring this comprehensive list of published research articles on self-compassion here: http://self-compassion.org/the-research/. Articles are listed by category and author name.

Yes! Please check the translations already available here: http://self-compassion.org/self-compassion-scales-for-researchers/ If you plan to translate and validate the scale for publication, please heed the recommendations to use bifactor ESEM in your analysis. Guidelines are outlined in this article. (Neff, Tóth-Király, et al., 2019).

Yes! You can administer the measure yourself or else individuals take the scale and get their score at: https://self-compassion.org/test-how-self-compassionate-you-are/

You can informally consider 1 – 2.49 as low, 2.5 – 3.49 as moderate, and 3.5 – 5.0 as high levels of self-compassion. There are no formal norms for the scale. Some researchers have used median splits when they have multiple groups in their sample to determine who is high or low in self-compassion in their research.

Dr. Neff has limited availability and unfortunately, cannot provide research advice. However, her website has an abundance of resources that can support your current research.

You can find self-compassion measurement tools here: https://self-compassion.org/self-compassion-scales-for-researchers/

You can find self-compassion research here: https://self-compassion.org/the-research/

If you want to conduct research on the MSC program, we strongly recommend you find a trained (preferably certified) teacher to administer the program. You may find someone local to your area at the CMSC website: https://centerformsc.org/course-teachers-list/.

Unfortunately, Dr. Neff is not taking on new students and cannot collaborate on research projects at this time.

Please feel free to reach out to info@self-compassion.org