Psychometric testing of the Caring Behaviors Inventory for nursing students

Abstract

Aim and objective To test the psychometric properties of the nursing students' version of the 24‐item Caring Behaviours Inventory. Background Caring is at the heart of nursing and should also be a core value in nursing education. Caring can be manifested through measurable behaviours. The Caring Behaviors Inventory is a valid and reliable measure of nurses' caring behaviours in clinical settings. It has already been used among nursing students, but it needs more psychometric testing. Design Cross‐sectional validation study. Method The questionnaire was filled in by 300 undergraduate nursing students at two Italian universities in May 2016. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted using Mplus maximum likelihood with GEOMIN oblique rotation. A multifaceted approach was used to evaluate the model fit. The STROBE checklist for cross‐sectional studies was followed. Results Four dimensions were identified: “being with,” “doing with competence,” “responding to individual needs” and “providing effective care.” Adequate fit indices and high reliability of the factors were found. Correlations between factors were positive and significant. Conclusion This study makes it possible to use the same tool to compare the caring practices perceived by students, nurses and patients. Further studies with bigger samples could be stratified to investigate the associations between caring levels and student characteristics. The Caring Behaviors Inventory can be used to call attention to caring in nursing education, helping to make this concept less elusive. Relevance to clinical practice The effective self‐assessment of nursing students' caring behaviours offers opportunities for reflection on their caring practice. This could improve the caring level of their behaviours in clinical practice and help them to become caring nurses in the future.

Perceptions of Caring Behavior Among Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Three-Cohort Observational Study

“…Item Distribution in the Caring Behaviors Inventory Dimensions, in Accordance with Wu et al45 and Fenizia et al35 …”

“…45 Tomietto et al 41 validated the Italian version of the CBI-24, analyzing two samples, one of patients and one of nurses. This Italian version, called the Italian CBI, was psychometrically analyzed by Fenizia et al 35 to validate its use in undergraduate nursing students. The results of the validation among students kept unchanged both the number of items (n = 24) and dimensions (n = 4) but suggested a different distribution of items in the factors and their denomination: "Being with" (D1) with 10 items, "Doing with competence" (D2) with 5 items, "Responding to individual needs" (D3) with 6 items and "Providing effective care" (D4) with 3 items.…”

“…The results of the validation among students kept unchanged both the number of items (n = 24) and dimensions (n = 4) but suggested a different distribution of items in the factors and their denomination: "Being with" (D1) with 10 items, "Doing with competence" (D2) with 5 items, "Responding to individual needs" (D3) with 6 items and "Providing effective care" (D4) with 3 items. 35 The different item distribution in the dimensions of the CBI-24 according to the authors Wu et al 45 and Fenizia et al 35 is presented in Table 1.…”

“…24 Students' periodic self-assessments of their caring behaviors help them reflect on themselves in order to better understand the importance of building caring relationships with the patient during clinical practice. 35 Developing caring competences is considered to be one of the most important aims of undergraduate nursing education; 12 individuals who enter nursing must possess caring behavior and continue to allow growth as they progress through the various educational levels. But, unfortunately, the few studies which explore this outcome report conflicting results.…”

“…24 Students' periodic self-assessments of their caring behaviors help them reflect on themselves in order to better understand the importance of building caring relationships with the patient during clinical practice. 35 Research Questions 1. What are the levels of caring behaviors manifested by nursing students?…”