Psychometric Evaluation of Nursing Professionals Involved in Palliative Care

Abstract

Objective: The study was intended to validate Ryff’s psychological well-being scales in nursing and to relate them to key variables in the quality of life at work. Materials and method: Four hundred thirty-three (433) professionals took part through an anonymous, selfadministered electronic survey; 33.1% were nursing professionals (n = 123) and the authors focused on them. In addition to sociodemographic data, information was collected on psychological well-being, mindfulness, coping with death, and quality of life. Construct validity was evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was estimated and evidence of external validity was collected. Results: The model showed adequate adjustment: c2 (362) = 438.59 (p = .01), CFI = .98, RMSEA = .05 [.03-.06] and adequate reliability for all the dimensions except autonomy. The dimensions of well-being were moderately and positively with self-awareness, coping with death, and satisfaction from compassion, and negatively with fatigue from compassion and burnout. The association between dominance of the environment and burnout (-.54), purpose in life and satisfaction (.54) and coping with death (.50) stood out. Conclusions: The results support the use of these scales in nursing, since they demonstrate adequate reliability and validity. In fact, several of them explain up to a quarter of the relevant indicators in occupational health, such as burnout or satisfaction with life.