Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Oxford Positive Self Scale in Chinese Nursing Undergraduates

Background According to the recent report of the China National Mental Health Survey, young Chinese people are a high-risk group for depression among the entire adult population, and the detection rate of depression risk in Chinese individuals aged 18–24 years is as high as 24.1%, which is significantly higher than that of other age groups. Hence, it is essential to study the mental health of the Chinese youth population. People with a positive self-mindset tend to have a higher sense of self-efficacy, and when these people encounter adversities and face challenges in their lives, they are more active in finding approaches and mobilizing resources to combat them. Currently, most research studies on the positive self-concept in Chinese people have focused on the users of social media networks, and there is a lack of research on the positive self-concept level in the general population. Although individual self-concept scales, mainly the Adversity Beliefs Scale and the Self-Concept Scale, have been used in previous research, these scales do not directly measure an individual’s beliefs about the positive self-concept. Therefore, in the present study, the Oxford Positive Self Scale (OxPos) was translated into Chinese, and the psychometric properties of the Chinese version were assessed in nursing undergraduates as the research subjects. Method This study was conducted from April 2024 to August 2024 by recruiting undergraduate nursing students from freshman year to junior year of an undergraduate college. A total of 514 valid questionnaires were collected. The Chinese translation process of the OxPos, including both forward and backward translations, strictly adhered to the Brislin’s model and was followed by necessary modifications. Item analyses were performed using critical ratios and item-total correlation coefficients. Validity assessments included content validity, structural validity, and validity scale correlation validity. Scale reliability was determined by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, retest reliability, and split-half reliability coefficient. Results The Chinese OxPos version included 24 entries in 4 dimensions with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 87.27%. The content validity index of the scale for this survey was 0.875. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the Chinese OxPos version was consistent with the dimensional division of the original scale. The validation factor analysis showed a satisfactory fit index. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, re-test reliability, and split-half reliability coefficient of the Chinese OxPos version were 0.935, 0.978, and 0.845, respectively. Conclusion After a rigorous process of adaptation to the Chinese context, the Chinese version of OxPos showed good psychometric properties. The scale proved helpful as a research tool for assessing the positive self-concept level in the Chinese cultural context.