The Self-Comforting and Coping Scale (SCCS): Validity and Reliability of a Measure of Self-Comforting Behaviours

The present study investigated self-comforting behaviours of university students by validating and applying the Self-Comforting and Coping Scale (SCCS), a newly developed multidimensional psychometric instrument designed to measure emotional self-regulation and adaptive coping strategies. Self-comforting behaviours—including positive self-encouragement, mindfulness, cognitive reframing, and self-compassion—are essential for psychological resilience, yet few tools adequately capture these dimensions in a cohesive framework. A sample of 300 undergraduate students participated in the study to validate the SCCS and assess the prevalence of these behaviours within a higher education context. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate self-comforting tendencies in the sample. A one-sample t-test revealed that the overall SCCS mean score (M = 3.25, SD = 0.72) was significantly higher than the scale's theoretical midpoint of 3.0 (t(299) = 3.47, p < 0.001), confirming that the students demonstrated a relatively high level of self-comforting behaviour. Subscale-specific analyses further supported this finding, with particularly elevated scores reported in domains such as Mindfulness and Acceptance (M = 4.5, SD = 0.6), Positive Affect/Self-Encouragement (M = 4.3, SD = 0.8), and Self-Compassion (M = 4.2, SD = 0.75). These results suggest that students not only engage in self-comforting strategies but do so consistently and with considerable effectiveness. To validate the internal structure of the SCCS, both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Eigenvalues for the 13 identified factors ranged from 1.2 to 7.8, collectively explaining 73.2% of the total variance, indicating that the scale captured a substantial proportion of the underlying constructs. The confirmatory factor analysis yielded standardized factor loadings ranging from 0.60 to 0.88, with minimal residuals and no significant modification indices, supporting the robustness of the proposed factor structure. These findings affirm the SCCS as a psychometrically sound instrument and highlight the presence of strong self-comforting and coping capacities among university students. The results have implications for mental health practitioners, educators, and researchers seeking to identify and support emotionally resilient individuals in academic settings.