Validity and reliability of the turkish version of jefferson scale of empathy for nursing students

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the Turkish validity and reliability of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Nursing Students (JSENS). Material and Methods: The study sample consisted of 414 nursing students. The construct validity of the scale was tested with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) whereas the concurrent scale validity was tested with Empathic Tendency Scale (ETS). The reliability of the scale was evaluated with internal consistency and the internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlation. Results: The results of the CFA showed that JSENS fitted the three-factor model. However, the factor loadings of two items were very low, therefore these items were extracted from the scale and CFA was run again. The goodness of fit indices of the three-factor model containing 18 items were acceptable. The subscale scores of the JSENS and total score showed positively correlations with the ETS score. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.73 for all items. The item-total correlations ranged from 0.11 to 0.46 in the item analysis conducted for 18 items. Conclusion: The Turkish adaptation of the JSENS contained three factors and 18 items. The JSENS can be used as a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating empathy in nursing students. © 2014 by Türkiye Klinikleri.