Psychometric Assessment of the Chinese Version of the Scale Perception and Understanding of Human Dignity in Nursing: Cross-sectional Translation

Background Human dignity is a crucial nursing value. Currently, there are no measurement tools available in China to assess perceptions and understanding of human dignity. This study aimed to translate the Scale Perception and Understanding of Human Dignity in Nursing into Chinese and validate its psychometric properties among nursing students in higher education institutions. Method A cross-sectional study design was employed, utilizing convenience sampling to collect 530 questionnaires from nursing students at three medical universities in China. After obtaining authorization from the original authors, the scale was translated into Chinese using the Brislin back-translation method. Project analysis was conducted to evaluate item discrimination. Content validity was assessed through expert consultation using the Delphi method. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to explore and validate the underlying factor structure. Internal consistency, split-half reliability, and test-retest reliability were calculated to evaluate reliability. Results The item analysis retained 43 items, with the content validity index (CVI) of the translated scale being 1.000. In the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), three common factors were extracted (Understanding, Perception, and Caring Dimensions), explaining 72.455% of the total variance. CFA results were: χ²/df = 2.566, RMSEA = 0.077, RMR = 0.014, IFI = 0.933, TLI = 0.929, CFI = 0.933, NFI = 0.894. Both EFA and CFA results indicated that the translated scale possesses good construct validity. The Chinese version of the Perception and Understanding of Human Dignity in Nursing Scale demonstrated Cronbach's alpha, split-half reliability, and test-retest reliability coefficients of 0.958, 0.836, and 0.999, respectively. The translated scale also exhibited good reliability. Conclusion The Chinese version of the Perception and Understanding of Human Dignity in Nursing Scale demonstrates sound psychometric properties. This scale effectively and comprehensively reflects nursing students' perception and understanding of the concept of human dignity, laying a foundation for future nursing students to care for patients in clinical practice while comprehending and respecting patient dignity.