Validity and reliability of a Persian version of nursing students’ competence scale in spiritual care

    Background: Measuring nursing students' competencies in spiritual care and their development is important and the application of a reliable and valid instrument is recommended in the literature.   Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of Spiritual Care Competence Scale (SCCS) among nursing students.   Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 110 nursing students in Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in 2011. Spiritual Care Competence Scale by Van Leeuwen et al, 2009 was translated into Persian and back-translated , then pilot study was performed to determine the cultural sensitivity. Construct validity was evaluated by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Internal consistency was estimated by Cronbach’s alpha and the average inter-item correlation . In addition, the test-retest reliability of the scale was determined in 20 subjects within two weeks.   Findings: The order of the factors was entirely consistent with those extracted previously during the psychometric assessment of the English version of the scale . The cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.77 for the total scale and ranged from 0.65 to 0.85 for subscales. The inter-item correlations was statistically significant in all questions (P<0.05). The test-retest indicated that the translated scale and its subscales are reliable. Exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation yielded six factors with eigen values more than 1 that explained 63.18% of the variance. The subscales showed good homogeneity with average inter-item correlations more than 0.35 and a good test–retest reliability. The CFA of the six-factor model based on the EFA represented an acceptable fit.   Conclusion: With regard to the results, the SCCS can be used for research, educational and practical purposes to assess paramedics' competency specially nurses' competencies qualified for spiritual care. The psychometric quality of the scale was satisfactory. Methodological limitations should be taken into account in any further development of the spiritual care competence scale.