Validation of the Spanish version of the five-item General Self-Efficacy (GSE) scale in a sample of nursing students: Evidence of validity, reliability, longitudinal invariance and changes in general self-efficacy and resilience in a two-wave cross-lagged panel model.

AIM: The aim of this study is to validate the Spanish version of the five-item General Self-Efficacy scale in a sample of nursing students, by: 1) offering evidence of validity and reliability; 2) studying the longitudinal measurement invariance of the scale; 3) providing evidence on the changes in the levels of self-efficacy that occur after one year of nursing education; and 4) offering longitudinal evidence on the relationship between nursing students' self-efficacy and resilience levels. BACKGROUND: Nurses' general self-efficacy has been related to both personal and organizational outcomes. In Spain, some competencies the students must acquire during the Degree in Nursing implicitly refer to self-efficacy. For the measurement of general self-efficacy, the General Self-Efficacy Scale is one of the most widely used in Europe. DESIGN: A longitudinal design was used. Research took place at the University of Valencia and the University of the Balearic Islands (Spain). Participants were 324 nursing students, in the first year of the Nursing Degree. METHODS: The five-item General Self-Efficacy scale and the Brief Resilience Coping Scale were used. Analyses included descriptive statistics, reliability estimates, confirmatory factor analysis, a longitudinal measurement invariance routine and several competing cross-lagged models. RESULTS: Evidence of reliability shown by the scale was adequate and a one-factor solution for the structure was found. Additionally, the five-item GSE showed evidence of invariance over time. A causal effect of self-efficacy on nursing students' levels of resilience was found. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the five-item General Self-Efficacy scale is a brief instrument that can contribute to the assessment of some of the basic competencies of the Degree in Nursing, which improve during their education and how these changes are related to other skills important for the nursing profession, such as resilience.

Cross-Sectional Study of the Professional Quality of Life of Palliative Care Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The display of compassionate care by palliative care professionals is of the utmost importance to the patients, their families, and even to their own professional well-being. Lately and, especially due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, palliative care professionals have been subjected to greater pressures stemming from their work environment, organizational standpoint, and emotional sense of view. Not only have these factors made it harder for professionals to deliver compassionate care to their patients, but they have also decreased their overall well-being. The aim is to study how sociodemographics, workplace characteristics, internal resources, and the COVID-19 pandemic-derived pressures have affected the professionals' capacity to perform compassionate care and their well-being while at the same time exploring the relationship between compassionate care and well-being. METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional design with data gathered from Spanish palliative care professionals. The final sample was formed by 241 participants. They were surveyed about compassion, professional quality of life, well-being, sociodemographic data, working conditions, self-care, and coping with death competence, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analyses used were descriptive statistics, bivariate tests, and the construction of a structural equation model. RESULTS: Compassion was predicted by the ability to control their workload and the ability to cope with death. Burnout was predicted by age, workload, workload control, self-care, material resources, and changes in teamwork. Moreover, compassion, age, workload control, and changes in teamwork and self-care were shown to significantly predict compassion satisfaction. When it comes to compassion fatigue, different variables were shown to predict it, those being compassion, control over the workload, social self-care, and the ability to cope with death. CONCLUSIONS: Having a healthy lifestyle and an adequate social support system is key to maintaining professional well-being in the case of palliative care professionals. Inner resources such as the ability to perform self-care and the capacity to cope with death are of vital importance to taking care of these professionals. Thus, it would be beneficial to establish training programs focused on these aspects in the myriad of sanitary centers that perform these tasks, as these abilities are necessary to withstand the work-related pressures and, at the same time, be able to provide compassionate care for patients.