Validity and Reliability of the Korean Version of the Rushton Moral Resilience Scale-16™ in Nurses

Background/Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Rushton Moral Resilience Scale-16™ (RMRS-16™) for nurses. Methods: The RMRS-16™ was translated into Korean using a forward-backward translation process. Data were collected from 417 nurses working in five tertiary and three general hospitals in South Korea. Content validity was assessed using the content validity index. Construct validity was examined through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Convergent validity was evaluated using Pearson correlation coefficients with resilience and known-groups validity was examined across burnout levels using analysis of variance and post hoc tests. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's α. Results: Exploratory factor analysis identified four factors that explained 56.45% of the cumulative variance: response to moral adversity, relational integrity, personal integrity, and moral efficacy. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated an acceptable model fit (χ²/df = 1.77, standardized root mean square residual = 0.05, root mean square error of approximation = 0.06, goodness-of-fit index = 0.91, comparative fit index = 0.94, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.93), and both convergent and discriminant validity were supported. Moral resilience was positively correlated with resilience and differed significantly by burnout level. The total scale showed satisfactory internal consistency in the full sample (n = 417, Cronbach's α = 0.86). Conclusions: The RMRS-16™ is a valid and reliable instrument for South Korean hospital practice. It can be used in intervention studies to assess and strengthen moral resilience in nursing practice.