Brief Description
The State Self-Compassion Scale, Long Form (SSCS-L), is a psychological assessment tool designed to measure an individual's self-compassion at a specific moment in time. It is derived from the original Self-Compassion Scale by Kristin Neff, but focuses on the state, or temporary, aspects of self-compassion rather than trait, or more stable, aspects. The SSCS-L consists of 18 items that assess key dimensions of self-compassion, including self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness, as well as their opposites (self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification). It is widely used in research and clinical settings to examine how self-compassion fluctuates in response to stress or interventions, providing insight into how individuals treat themselves in difficult moments.
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
18
Age Range for Administration
14+
Recommended Frequency of Administration
No recommended standard frequency; Blueprint recommends monthly.
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
The SSCS-L consists of 18 questions that are answered using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (“Not at all true for me”) to 5 (“Very true for me”). The subscales of Self-Judgment, Isolation, and Over-Identification are reverse-scored (i.e., 1=5, 2=4, 3=3, 4=2, 5=1). The items are divided into six subscales as follows:
Subscale | Items |
Self-Kindness | 1, 7, 13 |
Self-Judgment | 4, 10, 16 (reverse-scored) |
Common Humanity | 3, 9, 15 |
Isolation | 6, 12, 18 (reverse-scored) |
Mindfulness | 5, 11, 17 |
Over-Identification | 2, 8, 14 (reverse-scored) |
To calculate the score, the mean score for each subscale is calculated. To obtain the total self-compassion score, the average of the six subscale means is calculated. Higher total scores indicate greater momentary self-compassion. Lower total scores suggest reduced self-compassion, indicating that an individual may struggle with self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness, while experiencing greater self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification with negative emotions.
There are no clinical norms or scores established to indicate a level of an individual’s state self-compassion. Instead, the SSCS-L scores are used primarily to compare one individual’s self-compassion state from one date of administration to the next. However, the suggested ad hoc rubric by the author is as follows:
Total Score - Subscale Average | Interpretation |
1.0-2.49 | Low state self-compassion |
2.5-3.5 | Moderate state self-compassion |
3.51-5.0 | High state self-compassion |
Blueprint Adjustments
The “Total Score” should be ignored, while the “Total Score - Subscale Average” should be used for interpretation. Blueprint’s scoring limitations mean that subscale averages are rounded to the nearest whole number, which affects the total score. Specifically, the rounding means that the calculated total score will be slightly inaccurate due to rounding of the subscale averages used to calculate the total score (average of the six subscales).
Clinical Considerations
Estimated time to complete: 3-5 minutes.
The Self Compassion Scale-Short Form, which focuses on self-compassion as a trait, and the short-from of the SSCS-L are also available on Blueprint.
The SSCS-L measures momentary (state) levels of self-compassion, which makes it especially useful for evaluating short-term or session-by-session changes in self-compassion, particularly in interventions like Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Scores may be highly influenced by recent experiences (e.g., a difficult session), so timing and context are important for interpretation.
The SSCS-L includes six subscales, each reflecting one of the self-compassion components. Understanding these subscales can provide insight into where a client may be struggling and guide interventions accordingly.
Citation
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