The 10-item Self-Concealment Scale (SCS) (Larson & Chastain, 1990) measures the degree to which a person tends to conceal personal information perceived as negative or distressing. The SCS has proven to have excellent psychometric properties (internal consistency and test-retest reliability) and unidimensionality (Cramer & Barry, 1999; Larson & Chastain, 1990).
Self-Concealment Scale
Translations of the Self-Concealment Scale
Chinese
Kang, W. C. (2002). The factor structure of the Chinese adaptation of Self-Concealment Scale in middle school students. Chinese Journal of Applied Psychology 8(2), 15-17.
Lu, D., Li, L.-m., & Xiu, F.-x. (2009). Self-concealment of high school students and its relation with self-consistency and congruence. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 17(1), 96-97.
Dutch
Wismeijer, A., & van Assen, M. (2008). Do neuroticism and extraversion explain the negative association between self-concealment and subjective well-being? Personality and Individual Differences, 45(5), 345-349. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2008.05.002
French
Bernaud, J.-L., & Leblond, V. (2005). Qu\’apporte le concepte de \’revelation de soi\’ dans la conduite de l\’entretien d\’orientation professionnelle? Risorsa Uomo: Rivista di Psicologia del Lavoro e dell\’ Organizzazione, 11(1), 25-45.
German
Ritz, T., & Dahme, B. (1996). Repression, self-concealment and rationality/emotional defensiveness: The correspondence between three questionnaire measures of defensive coping. Personality and Individual Differences, 20(1), 95-102. doi: 10.1016/0191-8869(95)00142-S
German translation by Larson and colleagues (unpublished)
Japanese Self-Concealment Scale
Kawano, K. (2001). Correlational analysis among Japanese Self-Concealment Scale, Kida\’s Stimulus-Seeking Scale and self-reported physical symptoms. Japanese Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 40(2), 115-121.
Adaptations of the Self-Concealment Scale
For use with adolescents (e.g., adapted the original items simply by adding parents as the target of adolescents’ secrecy. The items “My secrets are too embarrassing to share with others” and “I have negative thoughts about myself that I never share with anyone,” for example, became “My secrets are too embarrassing to share with my parents” and “I have negative thoughts about myself that I never share with my parents,” respectively). (Finkenauer, Engels, & Meeus, 2002)
Finkenauer, C., Engels, R. C. M. E., & Meeus, W. (2002). Keeping secrets from parents: Advantages and disadvantages of secrecy in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 31(2), 123-136. doi: 10.1023/a:1014069926507