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NCT Number: NCT07206966

Validation of the Swedish Translation of a Brief Shame Measure, the External and Internal Shame Scale

Shame is a normal emotion that people sometimes have. Experiencing a lot of shame has however been found to have a link to ill mental and somatic health. Therefore it is of interest to have a brief way of measuring shame. External and Internal shame scale (EISS) is a questionnaire with 8 items that is available in several languages, but not yet in Swedish. The researchers have translated it to Swedish and will investigate how well the Swedish version works for measuring shame. 300 participants are enrolled via social media and asked to complete the EISS as well as two other scales for comparison. Participants are also asked about their age and gender. In addition 50 participants will be recruited from an outpatient clinic in order to check how the scale works in clinical settings. The researchers will use the answers to statistically calculate the scientific properties of the EISS.

Recruiting

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Key information

Conditions

Shame

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Uppsala University Hospital

Uppsala, S-75185, Sweden

Location status: Recruiting

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Must be 18 years of age or above
  • Must be capable of communicating in Swedish
  • Participants in clinical samples must be patients at one of the clinics involved in the study.

Exclusion criteria

  • None.

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. EISS

    Time frame: Within a week of enrollment

    External and Internal Shame Scale, an 8-item measure with a total scale ranging from 0 to 32 points, and two subscales of internal and external shame, ranging from 0 to 16 each. Self-assessment of how often one feels what is described in each item, ranging from "never" (0) to "always" (4).

Secondary outcomes

  1. ISS

    Time frame: Within a week of enrollment

    Internalized Shame Scale consists of 30 items, of which 24 measure internalized shame and 6 measure self esteem. Self assessment of "how often one feels or experiences" each of the items, ranging from "never" (0) to "almost always" (4).

  2. PHQ-9

    Time frame: Within a week of enrollment

    Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 item version is a widely used depression screening tool, measuring levels of depression symptoms. Self-assessment of how often one has been bothered by the symptoms in question over the past 2 weeks, ranging from "not at all" (0) to "nearly every day" (3). Total range 0-27.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Tove Filén

CONTACT

[email protected]

+46186170785

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Uppsala University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Validation of the Swedish Translation of a Brief Shame Measure, the External and Internal Shame Scale (EISS)

Acronym: EMBER-1

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Oct 3, 2025
Registry last updated
Apr 13, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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