Self-competence in death work and psychological empowerment: A methodological study

Background Improving the death-coping self-competence would provide more confidence for better care to dying patients and assist their family members.This study aimed to test factor structure and construct validity of a Turkish version of Chan’s Self-Competence in Death Work Scale. Methods This methodological study included 56 nurses and 38 physicians.The Self-Competence in Death Work Scale,Psychological Empowerment Scale, and demographic characteristics were used to collect data.Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, internal consistency reliability, and Spearman’s correlation analysis were used. Results The findings identified both a single factor and two factors as key components of self-competence in death work:(1)existential and (2)emotional coping. The factor structure explained 43% of the variance.The findings revealed a strong positive correlation between self-competence and psychological empowerment. Conclusions The research addresses the pressing need for research that investigates the self-competence and empowerment in practice among healthcare professionals for better care