Investigating the Psychometric Characteristics of the Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Clinical Stressors Scale

Abstract

Background: Although clinical practice is a basic component of nursing education, it is also perceived and defined as an important source of anxiety and stress by students. Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of the Turkish validity and reliability of the “Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Clinical Stressors Scale”. Methods: This methodological, cross-sectional study was conducted between April and December 2021 with the nuring students (N=611) of a university’s Faculty of Health Sciences and School of Health. The sample of the study consisted of a total of 411 students studying in the 3rd and 4th grades. “Descriptive Information Form” and “Clinical Stressor Perception Scale in Nursing Students” developed by Rafati et al. (2021) were used in the study. In the validity analysis of the scale, confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis was used for construct validity and content validity index was used for content validity. For the reliability analysis of the scale, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, item analysis, Hotelling T2 test and floor and ceiling effect methods were used. Results: The scale consists of six sub-dimensions and 30 items. The scale explained 76.04% of the total variance. Factor loads were found to be greater than.30 in explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis, and all fit indices were greater than.90 in confirmatory factor analysis. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the scale is.940, and the Cronbach’s alpha values for the subscales range from.829 to.885. Conclusion: It was determined that the Turkish version of the Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Clinical Stressors Scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool to evaluate the clinical stressor perception of nursing undergraduate students. © Journal of Nursing Effect 2021 Open Access.