Design and validation of the love in nursing instrument

Abstract

Abstract Existing instruments designed to measure the construct of love exhibit various limitations or fail to specifically address love within the nursing context. Consequently, there is a distinct lack of a unified, domain-specific tool to evaluate love in the nursing profession. To address this gap, the present study aimed to design and validate a novel instrument for measuring love in nursing. This methodological study focused on instrument development and psychometric evaluation. Findings from an initial qualitative phase were utilized to generate the item pool and establish the conceptual framework for the scale. The psychometric properties of the instrument were rigorously assessed through face, content, and construct validity. Furthermore, reliability was established by examining both internal consistency and temporal stability. The study yielded an 18-item instrument comprising two distinct dimensions: “Commitment and Compassion in Care” and “Job Satisfaction and Enthusiasm.” The developed scale demonstrated robust validity, successfully accounting for 67.782% of the total variance. Reliability indices were optimal, yielding a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.958 and a McDonald’s omega of 0.956. Additionally, the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) for the overall instrument was reported at 0.876, indicating excellent temporal stability. The newly developed instrument provides a promising metric with satisfactory initial psychometric properties for quantifying love in nursing within an Iranian sample. As an exploratory tool, it has the potential to assist healthcare systems in evaluating occupational environments. Importantly, given the nature of the construct, scores derived from this scale should be utilized formatively to optimize nurse-patient relationships, rather than for diagnostic classification or punitive staff assessments.