The study is significant because guilt is a core moral emotion that shapes adolescent behavior, responsibility, and social relationships. Accurate measurement of guilt is essential for psychological assessment, school counseling, and mental health interventions. The findings show that while the TOSCA-3 guilt scale works consistently, some parts of the instrument do not yet fully reflect how Indonesian adolescents experience guilt.
Why Measuring Guilt in Adolescents Matters
Adolescence is a critical period for moral and emotional development. During this stage, feelings of guilt help young people recognize mistakes, repair social relationships, and align their behavior with social and cultural norms. Healthy guilt supports accountability and prosocial behavior, while poorly managed guilt can become a psychological burden.
In educational and clinical settings, psychologists rely on standardized measurement tools to understand adolescents’ emotional states. One of the most influential instruments globally is TOSCA-3, developed by psychologist June Tangney and colleagues. The scale assesses guilt through everyday scenarios and examines how individuals respond emotionally and behaviorally.
However, most psychological instruments are developed in Western cultural contexts. When they are applied in different societies, including Indonesia, they must be tested carefully to ensure they measure emotions accurately and fairly. Without proper validation, assessments may overlook cultural nuances or misinterpret adolescent behavior.
How the Study Was Conducted
To evaluate how well TOSCA-3 works in Indonesia, the researchers analyzed data from 225 adolescents aged 15 to 19 years, all of whom were senior high school students. Participants completed an adapted Indonesian version of the TOSCA-3 questionnaire through an online survey.
The research team used a statistical approach known as Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to examine whether the structure of the guilt scale matched the real responses of Indonesian adolescents. In simple terms, this analysis checks whether the questionnaire items group together in a meaningful and logical way.
The researchers also tested reliability, which shows whether the scale produces consistent results. High reliability indicates that the instrument measures guilt in a stable and dependable manner across respondents.
Key Findings from the Analysis
The results present a balanced picture of strengths and limitations.
First, the reliability of the TOSCA-3 guilt scale was high. The statistical indicators showed strong internal consistency, meaning the items worked well together to measure the same emotional construct. This suggests that the scale can be trusted to consistently assess guilt among adolescents.
Second, the model fit analysis revealed important weaknesses. Some statistical indicators showed that the overall structure of the scale did not fully align with the response patterns of Indonesian adolescents. In particular, several items appeared to overlap across different aspects of guilt or contributed weakly to the measurement.
In practical terms, this means:
- The TOSCA-3 guilt scale is reliable, but
- The way its items are grouped into dimensions of guilt needs refinement for better accuracy.
The researchers identified specific items that should be revised, adjusted, or reconsidered to improve how well the scale reflects adolescents’ real experiences.
Why These Results Are Important
These findings have direct implications for psychology, education, and mental health services in Indonesia. Counselors, school psychologists, and researchers often use standardized tools like TOSCA-3 to guide assessments and interventions. If a measurement tool is reliable but not optimally structured, it may still produce results that are incomplete or misleading.
According to Syahri Hidayahni Syam Nasution from the University of North Sumatra, careful evaluation of psychological instruments is essential before they are widely applied. Ethical paraphrasing from the study highlights that improving item structure can lead to more accurate representations of guilt, which in turn supports better psychological understanding and intervention planning.
The study also reinforces a broader issue in psychological science: the need for culturally sensitive measurement tools. Emotional experiences such as guilt are shaped by family values, social expectations, and cultural norms. Instruments adapted from other countries must therefore undergo rigorous testing and modification.
Implications for Education and Policy
For educators, understanding guilt can help identify students who are struggling emotionally or who may benefit from guidance and counseling. For policymakers, validated psychological tools support evidence-based decisions in youth mental health programs.
This research encourages further development of locally validated psychological instruments in Indonesia. By refining existing tools like TOSCA-3, researchers can ensure that assessments are not only statistically sound but also culturally meaningful.
The authors recommend additional testing after revising problematic items, as well as validation across diverse adolescent populations. Such efforts would strengthen the scale’s applicability in schools, clinics, and research settings nationwide.
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