How much do I belong to my profession? A scale development study: Midwifery Belonging Scale

Area of Science:

• Nursing and Midwifery
• Psychometrics
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• Professional belonging is crucial for healthcare professionals.
• Existing tools may not adequately capture midwives' unique sense of belonging.
• Understanding professional belonging can inform retention and job satisfaction strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a psychometrically sound instrument to measure professional belonging among midwives.
• To create the Midwifery Belonging Scale (MBS) for assessing midwives' levels of professional belonging.

Main Methods:

• A 30-item Likert-type scale was developed based on literature review, focus groups, and expert opinions.
• The scale was administered to 300 midwives in Turkey.
• Exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, and item-total score correlation were used for validity and reliability testing.

Main Results:

• Factor analysis revealed a 22-item, four-factor structure explaining 63.846% of the variance.
• The Midwifery Belonging Scale (MBS) demonstrated strong internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.905.
• The scale was confirmed as a valid and reliable instrument for measuring professional belonging in midwives.

Conclusions:

• The Midwifery Belonging Scale (MBS) is a psychometrically robust tool for assessing professional belonging in midwives.
• The MBS can be utilized in research and practice to evaluate and enhance midwives' sense of belonging.
• Further research should explore the scale's application across diverse midwifery populations and settings.