Intercultural validation of the Mindful Self-Care Scale: Rasch and factor analysis of 16 studies representing five continents

Objectives: Between 2012 and 2017, the Mindful Self-Care Scale (MSCS) was crafted and refined through a rigorous, evidence-based process. From 2017 to 2023, the instrument was validated across an array of cultural contexts. Despite these promising results, no research has consolidated item-level data to evaluate the psychometrics of the measure across various cultures. This study sought to examine the intercultural validity of the MSCS. 

Methods: Retrospective instrument meta-analysis with Rasch modeling, factor analysis, and data drawn from 16 studies among five continents, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America, and North America (n = 5,658). 

Results: Rasch and Factor Analysis indicated that measurement properties of the MSCS were reliable and valid in all 16 studies. The MSCS (33-item) showed good internal structure, validity, and invariance, to support generalizability of its scores in varied cultural settings. The Brief-MSCS (24-item) had a stronger internal structure with parsimony for well-being applications. 

Conclusions: The MSCS (33-item and 24-item) were both reliable and valid among culturally and occupationally varied samples. With wide factorial scope and proven psychometric robustness, the MSCS serves as a useful tool for assessing mindful self-care preferences and values across heterogeneous ethnic, cultural, and occupational landscapes. Rasch and invariance testing further supported the human needs-based self-care theory used to operationalize the MSCS. The only negative item in the measure (PC6), was not adding value and could be removed. Future research should investigate mind-body practice in self-care and their relationship to other mindfulness constructs. 

Preregistration: This study is not preregistered. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.