[Assessment of shame and guilt validation of the test of self-conscious affect for children and adolescents (TOSCA-C/A)].

Shame and guilt feelings play a pivotal role in the aetiology and maintenance of a number of psychological disorders as well as in the development and regulation of moral behaviour. Despite intensive theoretical treatments of this topic, there have been few empirical studies to date, chiefly because of the lack of appropriate measuring instruments. The purpose of this study was the psychometric evaluation of the German version of the Test of Self-Conscious Affect for Children and Adolescents (TOSCA-C/A). The psychometric properties of this instrument were evaluated using a non-clinical sample of N = 505 children and adolescents aged between 8 and 18 years and a clinical sample of N = 50 children and adolescents. The individual scales proved reliable. There were many indications of the validity of the scales. We conclude that the German version of the TOSCA-C/A is the basis for the further investigation of self-conscious affects such as guilt and shame in children and adolescents.