A validation of the Swedish self-concept and Identity Measure (SCIM) and its association with mental health problems

Pathological disturbance to one's identity is closely linked with mental illness and in particular personality disorders. Current measures of identity pathology within clinical research are nevertheless inconsistently used and present with substantial limitations such as disproportionate focus on adolescence. The Self-Concept and Identity Measure (SCIM) identifies pathological and non-pathological identity disturbance by implementing a measurement for clinical components of identity, as well as introducing the Lack of Identity concept. This study thus explores the psychometric properties (factor structure, internal consistency, and criterion validity) of the Swedish SCIM in a large sample of Swedish university students (N = 1500). Model fit indices for the three-dimension model of identity pathology consisting of consolidated-, disturbed-, and lack of identity subscales were deemed acceptable and the Swedish SCIM scores correlated with measures of psychopathology in the expected direction, together concluding that the Swedish SCIM was satisfactorily valid and reliable. The results further reveal a significant positive correlation between identity pathology and non-suicidal self-injury, two concepts that co-occur in psychopathologies, such as borderline personality disorder, but have not yet been studied in a Western population with this tool. The potential clinical use of this translated dimensional tool needs to be tested in a Swedish clinical population, however, we conclude that it already offers insight into the complexities of identity functioning and correlations with clinical symptoms.