Validation of a German Translation of the Compassionate Engagement and Action Scales and Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scales in a General Population Sample

ObjectivesThere are ongoing debates regarding how compassion is operationalized and measured. The Compassionate Engagement and Action Scales (CEAS) and the Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scales (SOCS) are based on distinct theoretical models with promising empirical support. This study translated the CEAS and SOCS from English to German and validated their psychometric properties in a German-speaking community sample.MethodThe CEAS and SOCS were translated in a five-stage process including consultation with authors of the original English scales. Participants were recruited online (n = 560) and completed the translated measures as well as questionnaires assessing self-compassion, uncompassionate self-responding, empathic concern, mindfulness, attachment insecurity, depression/anxiety, perceived stress, and mental well-being. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to assess structural validity, as well as multi-group CFA to assess measurement invariance, and Spearman correlations to assess convergent validity.ResultsFactor analysis results support the models proposed by scale authors for the CEAS-SC, CEAS-FROM, and SOCS-S. Alternative models are proposed for measures assessing compassion for others (CEAS-TO and SOCS-O). Measurement invariance is supported across age, gender, and education level. Internal consistency and convergent validity results support the use of total and subscale scores for all translated measures.ConclusionsThe proposed German versions of the CEAS and SOCS provide valid measures for use with German-speaking populations.