Compassion Questionnaire towards Self (CQS)

Abstract

The Compassion Questionnaire towards Self (CQS; Khoury, Vergara, Spinelli et al., 2023) is an instrument developed in parallel with the Compassion Questionnaire towards Others (CQO). Its primary aim is to operationalize self-compassion by grounding it in affective, cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal dimensions, each representing a set of skills cultivable through training and practice. The development process involved consultations with graduate students and field experts to generate both positive and negative items reflecting the four dimensions, ensuring structural and item similarity with the CQO where possible. Items were designed for simplicity and specificity, focusing on a single emotion, cognition, or behavior, and were subsequently evaluated for language clarity and precision. Following content validity analysis, the initial 36-item measure was assessed across three studies using Canadian adult samples. Factor analysis ultimately supported a 20-item measure across three distinct dimensions. Comprehensive results regarding the reliability and validity of the CQS have been reported.

Keywords

Acting Compassionately, Connection with Others, Self-Compassion, Thinking and Feeling Compassionately

Authors

Khoury, Bassam; Vergara, Rodrigo C.; Spinelli, Christina

Purpose

The CQS operationalizes compassion towards self as sets of affective, cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal skills/abilities that are independent from mindfulness.

Validity

Construct Validity: The results of the factor analysis strongly support the structural validity of the measure.

Convergent and Discriminant Validity: The findings indicated a medium correlation between the “Thinking and Feeling Compassionately” dimension and a medium-to-low correlation with the “Connection with Others” (interpersonal) dimension. A very weak association was observed with the “Acting Compassionately” dimension. Regarding symptomatology, the strongest associations were found between the CQS subscales and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; Cohen et al., 1983), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz & Roemer, 2004), and Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS-GEN; Watson et al., 1988). Specifically, the CQS’s “Connection with Others” subscale exhibited the lowest associations with these symptom scales (r <= -0.20), while the “Thinking and Feeling Compassionately” subscale showed the highest. Generally, all CQS subscales were associated with lower symptomatology.

Reliability

Internal Consistency: The internal consistencies for the CQS ranged from 0.77 to 0.94. The “Acting Compassionately” subscale consistently presented the lowest internal consistencies (Cronbach’s Alpha: 0.78 and 0.79; Total Omega: 0.78 and 0.79, for the first and second halves of the sample, respectively). Results from a split-half cross-validation procedure with bootstrap confirmed a robust structure, demonstrating adequate to good internal consistencies across the three subscale scores.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis: For the first half of the sample, the exploratory factor analysis solution presented a TLI of 0.92, RMSEA of 0.07, SMRMR of 0.03, and a KMO of 0.93. This same structure was subsequently evaluated in the second half of the sample using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), where the solution yielded a CFI of 0.95, TLI of 0.95, a RMSEA of 0.06, and an SMR of 0.04. The diagnostics were stable across both halves using both EFA and CFA, indicating an adequate fit for the proposed factor structure.

Instrument: Compassion Questionnaire towards Self (CQS)

Test Type: Original
Format: Items are rated on a Likert scale, ranging from 1 (almost never) to 5 (almost always).
Language Available: English
Population Group: Human (Male and Female)
Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older), including Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs), Thirties (30-39 yrs), Middle Age (40-64 yrs), and Aged (65 yrs & older).
Population Details: The studies were conducted in Canada, involving adult participants and university students.
Test Methodology: The development and validation of the CQS involved several methodological approaches, including Test Validity (Construct Validity, Content Validity, Convergent Validity, Discriminant Validity), Test Reliability (Internal Consistency), and Factor Analysis (Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis).

Keywords

Prosocial Behavior, Compassion, Emotional State Measures, Self-Compassion, Social Connectedness

Authors

Khoury, Bassam

• Author ORCID Identifier: No data is Available

• Affiliation: McGill University, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology

• Email Address: [email protected]

• Correspondence Address: McGill University, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 1Y2, [email protected]

Vergara, Rodrigo C.

• Author ORCID Identifier: No data is Available

• Affiliation: Universidad San Sebastián, Facultad de Psicología y Humanidades

• Email Address: No data is Available

• Correspondence Address: No data is Available

Spinelli, Christina

• Author ORCID Identifier: No data is Available

• Affiliation: McGill University, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology

• Email Address: No data is Available

• Correspondence Address: No data is Available

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author (Bassam Khoury)
Fee: No
Test Year: 2023

References

Khoury, B., Vergara, R. C., & Spinelli, C. (2023). Compassion Questionnaires: Scales development and validation. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 47(6), 1006–1032. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-023-10416-2

Items of the Compassion Questionnaire towards Self (CQS)

The CQS is a 20-item measure. Specific test items are not publicly available in the provided text, but the measure includes items across three factors/subscales: “Thinking and feeling compassionately,” “Connection with others,” and “Acting compassionately.” The items are rated on a Likert scale from 1 (almost never) to 5 (almost always).