Translation and Validation of the Arabic Duke University Religion Index Among Nursing Students in Saudi Arabia

This study translated the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL) and psychometrically validated it for use in a Saudi Arabian nursing student population. A total of 145 undergraduate nursing students were recruited from a college of nursing, with participants having a mean age of 21.4 (± 2.0) years. Data collection drew on three instruments: a demographic questionnaire, the Arabic Scale of Intrinsic Religiosity (ASIR), and an Arabic-language adaptation of the DUREL. To ensure cultural appropriateness, all measures underwent a forward-backward translation procedure prior to administration. Reliability was evaluated using test-retest reliability and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Convergent validity was assessed through Spearman rank correlations between the DUREL and ASIR, while the underlying factor structure of the scale was examined using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA). Internal consistency estimates indicated acceptable to strong reliability: the full DUREL scale yielded a Cronbach's alpha of 0.62, whereas the intrinsic religiosity subscale demonstrated considerably higher consistency at 0.89 and ICC ranged from 0.047 to 0. 349. Item factor loadings ranged between 0.825 and 0.873, suggesting adequate construct representation across indicators. Correlations between the two religiosity measures were moderately strong, ranging from 0.197 to 0.615. This range indicates meaningful convergence without redundancy between the constructs. Structural analyses lent further support to a two-dimensional configuration of the DUREL, with both EFA and CFA yielding consistent results in this regard. Taken together, these findings suggest that the Arabic DUREL holds promise as a tool for measuring religiosity among nursing students, though several caveats remain. The sample's demographic homogeneity limits the generalizability of these findings, and subsequent validation work targeting minority populations and individuals managing chronic or complex health conditions would strengthen confidence in the scale's broader applicability.