Dataset of 1100 participants from a consumer panel responding to SOCS, life satisfaction and stress inventory PSS-10.

Dataset for: Hannukkala, M. S., Grandell, R., & Levänen, S. (2025). Psychometric Properties of the Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scales: Associations with Perceived Stress and Life Satisfaction in Finnish Adolescents and Young Adults. Mindfulness. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-025-02637-1

Objectives: Compassion, toward others or oneself, is a key human virtue linked to well-being, sparking growing interest in its definition and measurement. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Finnish translation of the Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scales, comprising two 20-item scales, Sussex-Oxford Compassion for Others Scale (SOCS-O) and Sussex-Oxford Compassion for the Self Scale (SOCS-S), to address the research gap in language-appropriate measures and advance understanding of their interplay. Method: Participants (n = 1100), aged 15–32 years, were recruited via a consumer panel. The construct validity of the Finnish SOCS was assessed using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling, and polychoric correlations examined its links to stress and life satisfaction. Results: Analyses supported a five-factor structure for SOCS-S and a four-factor structure for SOCS-O, while bifactor models did not converge and hierarchical models showed better yet mixed validity. Compassion and self-compassion were strongly correlated, with SOCS components demonstrating strong interrelationships. Higher stress was moderately linked to lower self-compassion but not compassion. Life satisfaction moderately correlated with self-compassion and positively with recognizing and tolerating others’ suffering. Conclusions: These findings highlight the multifaceted nature of compassion and support the validity of the Finnish SOCS for assessing compassion and self-compassion in Finnish adolescents and young adults, provided subscale scores are used. Using total sum scores for SOCS-O and SOCS-S likely oversimplifies these complex constructs. The results also suggest self-compassion may buffer against stress and enhance life satisfaction, underscoring its relevance in mental health interventions. Distinguishing between self-compassion and compassion could inform targeted well-being programs and mental health support strategies. Preregistration: This study is not preregistered.