Character Strengths Use in Diabetes Self-management Scale: Development and psychometric testing.

AIMS: To develop and psychometrically test Character Strengths Use in Diabetes Self-management Scale in people with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional design. METHODS: Based on literature reviews and examination by experts, a 20-item scale was developed and administered to 350 participants with type 2 diabetes who were enrolled from two endocrine clinics by convenience sampling in Taiwan. Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), concurrent and predictive validity as well as reliability were used to examine the psychometric characteristics of the scale. Data were collected from November 2021 to March 2022. RESULTS: EFA and CFA supported a 12-item scale with three factors, namely learning proactively, taking on challenges and thinking positively, fit the data well. The total score of the 12-item scale significantly and positively correlated with diabetes-specific quality of life, and significantly and negatively correlated with baseline and 9-month haemoglobin A1c levels. Cronbach's α for overall scale and subscales ranged between .78 and .91. CONCLUSION: The 12-item Character Strengths Use in Diabetes Self-management Scale demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability in people with type 2 diabetes. IMPACT: Nurses could apply this new scale to identify the degree of using character strengths in self-management in people with type 2 diabetes; accordingly, character strength-based interventions could be provided to improve self-management in such patients with diabetes. Furthermore, the 12-item Character Strengths Use in Diabetes Self-management Scale has the potential to be used to measure the effectiveness of strength-based interventions in people with Type 2 diabetes. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Five patients with type 2 diabetes were invited to take the original 20-item scale to evaluate the clarity, readability and comprehensiveness of the 20 items.

Development and cross-validation of a new instrument to measure nurse's positive energy of retention: A methodological study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically test a new instrument for measuring nurse's positive energy of retention (NPER). BACKGROUND: The shortage of professional nurses is an unresolved global issue. Few studies explored the issue of the retention of nurses in terms of a positive psychological viewpoint. DESIGN: Methodological study. METHODS: Data collection was from June 2016-August 2017. Nurses (N = 947) recruited from northern, central and southern Taiwan covering different levels of hospitals were divided into three samples, which were used for explaratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and cross-validation respectively. RESULTS: EFA resulted in a three-factor solution: proactive and persevering characteristics, nursing professional identity and passion accounting for 61.8% of total variance. The proposed three-factor model was confirmed by CFA. Cross-validation provided further evidence for the construct validity of the NPER instrument with 24 items. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of three subscales of the instrument were 0.95, 0.89, and 0.92 separately and 0.96 for the total scale. CONCLUSION: Psychometric properties indicate that the newly formulated NPER instrument is a valid and reliable assessment tool to recruit nurses who are more likely to remain in nursing. IMPACT: The study addressed the personal intrinsic factors, which are very important for nurses' retention. The NPER instrument consisted of three subscales is a reliable and psychometrically valid new instrument. Managers could apply the NPER instrument to recruit nurses possessing the attributes of positive energy of retention. Furthermore, researchers could use the rigorous process provided in the study to establish a new instrument.