Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 30, 2025

Qualitative and Quantitative Validation of Tools with Rating Scales Aimed at Assessing the Quality of University Service-Learning
Published on: August 29, 2025
Re-assessing the validity of the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire (MSQ): Two new scales for moral deliberation and
Luppo Kuilman1,2, Gerard J Jansen1, Laetitia B Mulder3
1Nursing Research Section, Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
Rationale, Aims, And Objectives:
The current study and previous research have called the six-component model of Lützen's 30-item Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire (MSQ) into question. For this reason, we re-examined the construct validity of this instrument.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, which was based on a convenience sample of Dutch nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), we tested the validity of MSQ items using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA, respectively).
Results:
The EFA revealed a two-component model, which was then tested as a target model with CFA and was found to have good model fit. Some items were correlated with two uncorrelated latent constructs, which we labelled as "paternalistic" and "deliberate" attitudes towards patients.
Conclusions:
As in previous studies, the analyses in the current study, which was conducted among PAs and NPs, did not reveal six dimensions for the 30 items. Two new latent dimensions of moral sensitivity were psychometrically tested and confirmed. These two components relate to studies investigating ethical behaviour, and they can be used to describe the moral climate in healthcare organizations. The scales are indicators of the extent to which health professionals behave in a deliberate (sensitive) or paternalistic (insensitive) manner towards the opinions of patients within the context of medical decision-making.
More Related Videos
07:56Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
10:26Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities
Published on: September 11, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Self-Report Tests of Personality
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal...
Strategies of Self-Presentation III: Self-Monitoring
Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
Milgram's Obedience to Authority
Empathy