RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Self-compassion is understood as a mental framework when facing difficulties in life or personal insufficiency. It arises in response to the negative aspects of self-esteem. It is assessed using the 26 item and six factor Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) in the United States and Spain but not in Chile. AIM: To validate the 12-item version (SCS-12) of the self-compassion scale. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A back translation process of the original SCS-12 scale was carried out and then it was reviewed by 6 experts. The scale was applied to a sample of 359 medical students and 795 physicians. For internal validity, confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed for one, two, three, and six factors. For external validity, bivariate correlations were made with variables about mental health, burnout, symptoms of depression and anxiety. Finally, a path analysis was carried out to study the relationship between the six factors and mental health. RESULTS: The CFA for the six-factor model presents the best fit for both groups of respondents (χ2 = 216.17, df = 80, p < .01; comparative fit index (CF)I = .96; Tucker-Lewis index (TL)I = .94; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = .05 [.04, .06]; Standarized Root Mean-Square(SRMR) = .04 and χ2 = 85.97, df = 39, p < .01; CFI = .97; TLI = .95; RMSEA = .06 [.04, .07]; SRMR = .04). The external validity was adequate. CONCLUSIONS: The 12-item version of the linguistically adapted Self-Compassion Scale instrument applied to medical students and physicians in Chile, had adequate internal validity and psychometric properties.