Development of the Nurses' Attitudes Toward Incarcerated Patients Scale: A Psychometric Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Psychometrics
• Healthcare Policy

Background:

• Nurses' attitudes significantly influence patient care quality and outcomes.
• Limited validated instruments exist to assess nurses' attitudes specifically toward incarcerated patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an original scale measuring nurses' attitudes toward incarcerated patients.
• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the developed scale.

Main Methods:

• Psychometric testing with a test-retest design.
• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA/CFA) on a sample of 672 nurses.
• Content validity assessed using the Lawshe technique.
• Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and temporal stability (test-retest reliability) evaluated.

Main Results:

• A 12-item scale was developed, comprising three factors: discriminatory attitudes, emotional discomfort, and patient equality.
• Factor loadings ranged from 0.69 to 0.85, supporting construct validity.
• Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an acceptable model fit.
• High internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.84) and moderate test-retest reliability were demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• The developed scale is a valid and reliable tool for assessing nurses' attitudes toward incarcerated patients.
• Findings support the need for targeted interventions and policies to address potential biases and improve care for this population.