Development and Initial Validation of the Self-Care Practices Scale

Abstract

Self-care is regarded as essential for effective social work practice, offsetting occupational stress and promoting well-being and resiliency among practitioners. However, the literature reveals a notable absence of psychometrically sound instruments to measure self-care. The purpose of the present study was to describe the development, refinement, and construct validity of the Self-Care Practices Scale (SCPS). The piloted version of the SCPS is a 38-item instrument designed to measure frequency of engagement in personal and professional self-care practices. Data were collected through mailed surveys from a random sample of master’s-level clinical social workers and members of the National Association of Social Workers (N = 492). Analysis supports the construct validity of an 18-item SCPS with two subscales that demonstrate strong internal validity. The SCPS is useful for social work educators, practitioners, and administrators to ascertain frequency of self-care practice and build a stronger culture of self-care. The role of SCPS in future research is discussed.

Foster caring in an era of COVID-19: the impact on personal self-care

“…To collect primary data for the study, researchers utilised the personal domain of the Self-Care Practices Scale (SCPS; Lee, Miller and Bride, 2020). This has been validated in previous studies for measuring psychometric properties (e.g.…”

“…This study seeks to address this gap by exploring the impact of the pandemic on the self-care practices of 1229 foster carers in one US state. Data were collected utilising the Self-Care Practices Scale (SCPS; Lee, Miller and Bride, 2020) and analysed via a retrospective pre/post design. This article charts pre/post changes in the frequency of self-care practices among carers and explores the relationship between post practices and participants’ background characteristics.…”

Exploring the self-care practice of social workers in Slovakia: How do they fare?

“…To collect primary data for this study, researchers utilized the SCPS (Lee et al, 2016). SCPS is an 18-item measure designed to have respondents designate the frequency with which they partake in professional and personal self-care practices, respectively.…”

“…SCPS is an 18-item measure designed to have respondents designate the frequency with which they partake in professional and personal self-care practices, respectively. For the purpose of this study, professional self-care can be defined as ‘the process of purposeful engagement in practices that promote effective and appropriate use of the self in the professional role within the context of sustaining holistic health and well-being’ (Lee et al, 2016: 98). On the contrary, personal self-care is ‘a process of purposeful engagement in practices that promote holistic health and well-being of the self’ (Lee et al, 2016: 98).…”

“…This exploratory, cross-sectional study examined the self-care practices of social workers ( N = 200) in Slovakia. Researchers utilized the Self-Care Practices Scale (SCPS; Lee et al, 2016) to collect primary data regarding participants’ personal and professional self-care practices, respectively. After a brief review of relevant literature, this article explicates findings, identifies salient discussion points, and concludes by identifying implications for social work education, research, and practice.…”