Cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Caring Efficacy scale in a sample of Italian nurses

Psychometric properties of the Caring Efficacy Scale among personal care attendants working in residential aged care settings

OBJECTIVE

This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Caring Efficacy Scale (CES) among personal care attendants providing care to older residents in residential aged care settings.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was completed in Australia in 2020-2021. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the 30-item original CES (Model 1) and 28-item CES validated in registered nurses (Model 2) was conducted to assess the goodness of fit of these models in our study population. Due to unsatisfactory fit indices for both models, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to examine the dimensionality and underlying structure of the original CES among personal care attendants. Internal consistency of the final scale and subscales identified was examined using item-total correlations and Cronbach's alpha coefficients.

RESULTS

Two hundred and eighty personal care attendants participated in the study. The model fit indices such as Comparative Fit Index and Tucker Lewis Index of both models were less than 0.90, while the Standardised Root Mean Square Residual and Root Mean Square of Approximation values were greater than or equal to 0.08 and 0.06, respectively. The EFA identified a two-factor structure, and 22 items of the 30 in the original scale were retained. Item-total correlations amongst items retained in the scale and subscales were greater than 0.3. Cronbach's alpha for the abbreviated scale was 0.85, with 0.83 and 0.79, respectively, for the two subscales.

CONCLUSIONS

The modified CES can be used as a robust tool to assess the self-efficacy of personal care attendants in providing care to older residents in residential aged care settings.

Caring efficacy: nurses' perceptions and relationships with work-related factors

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK

Caring nursing practice is central aspect of quality of services. It is important to assess nurses' caring experience in terms of perceived caring efficacy to make them aware of their outcomes and improve their strategies. The aims of the study was to analyze: (1) the caring efficacy level, (2) differences between the caring efficacy levels concerning  positive and negative work attitudes, (3) individual and organizational predictors of perceived caring efficacy.

METHODS

200 nurses were recruited from a University Hospital in Southern Italy. A self-reported questionnaire was administered. T-test was performed to analyze differences between caring efficacy levels concerning outcomes variables. Regression analysis was carried out to examine how some work factors were related to perceived caring efficacy.

RESULTS

Participants referred high confidence to care (CC) for 55%, and low doubts and concerns (DC) for 72.9%. Nurses who had low DC had lower emotional exhaustion than nurses with moderate DC. Nurses with low DC had higher job satisfaction than nurses with high DC. Regarding CC levels, there were no differences between mean values for both attitudes at work. The emotional dissonance significantly predicted DC and CC. The supervisor support had a negative link with emotional dissonance, which in turn was negatively related to CC.

CONCLUSIONS

Education and training should be addressed to reduce doubts and concerns to care and improve the ability to manage emotions. A work environment that value caring and give support in managing emotions can reduce emotional dissonance and improve caring self-efficacy.