Nursing Motives for Helping Scale (N-MHS): reliability and validity

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Psychology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Understanding nurses' motivations for helping is crucial for patient care.
• Batson's helping pathway theory identifies four key motives for helping behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate the Nursing Motives for Helping Scale (N-MHS).
• To evaluate three specific helping motives: altruism, reward-seeking, and punishment-avoidance.

Main Methods:

• Principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used for dimensionality analysis.
• Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha.
• Convergent validity was examined by correlating N-MHS scores with the Professional Expectations Scale.

Main Results:

• A 3-factor structure with 9 items demonstrated an acceptable fit to the data.
• Internal consistency (alpha values .60–.74) was acceptable for the new scale.
• The N-MHS showed convergent validity with the Professional Expectations Scale.

Conclusions:

• The N-MHS is a promising instrument for evaluating key nursing helping motives.
• This scale can aid in reducing risks and enhancing benefits for nurses and patients.
• Further research can explore the fourth motive within Batson's theory.