The De-Escalating Aggressive Behaviour Scale: development and psychometric testing.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Psychometrics
• Aggression Management

Background:

• Effective training requires measurable performance improvements beyond knowledge and attitude shifts.
• Assessing the quality of de-escalation performance in nursing is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and psychometrically evaluate a scale for measuring nursing students' de-escalation of aggressive behavior.
• To provide a reliable tool for assessing performance in simulated clinical environments.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative investigation to identify key de-escalation behaviors, followed by item wording refinement.
• Quantitative analysis of 1748 student performance evaluations and 456 expert evaluations of videotaped performances.
• Assessment of internal consistency, interrater reliability, test-retest reliability, and factor structure using German data from 2007-2008.

Main Results:

• A unidimensional 7-item scale was identified via factor analysis, with strong factor loadings across rater groups.
• Excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.87-0.88) and acceptable test-retest (Pearson's r=0.80) and interrater reliability (ICC=0.77-0.93) were confirmed.
• The scale demonstrated significant effect size (r=0.53, Cohen's d=1.25), indicating sensitivity to performance changes.

Conclusions:

• The developed 7-item scale exhibits robust psychometric properties for assessing nursing students' de-escalation skills.
• The scale is reliable and sensitive to changes in performance, aiding in evaluating training effectiveness.
• Future research should focus on validating the English version of the scale.