Psychometric evaluation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Chinese version of the Perception and Understanding of Human Dignity in Nursing Scale: a methodological study

Human dignity is a core value in nursing practice. However, there is currently a lack of validated measurement tools in China for assessing the perception and understanding of human dignity in nursing contexts. This study aimed to translate the Perception and Understanding of Human Dignity in Nursing Scale into Chinese and evaluate its psychometric properties among undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students in China. This methodological study employed a cross-sectional design. Using convenience sampling, 530 nursing students were recruited from three medical universities in China. The scale was adapted into Chinese following the Brislin back-translation method. Item analysis and content validity evaluation were conducted. The total sample was randomly split into two subsamples for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the scale’s latent structure. The scale’s internal consistency reliability, split-half reliability, and test-retest reliability were also assessed. Item analysis resulted in the retention of 43 items. The scale-level content validity index (S-CVI/Ave), as rated with high consensus by experts, was 1.00. EFA extracted three factors (Understanding dimension, Perception dimension, and Caring dimension), which cumulatively explained 72.455% of the total variance. CFA results indicated acceptable model fit (χ²/df = 2.566, RMSEA = 0.077, SRMR = 0.014, CFI = 0.933, NFI = 0.894), supporting acceptable construct validity. The scale demonstrated a Cronbach’s α coefficient of 0.958, a split-half reliability of 0.836, and a test-retest reliability of 0.966, indicating good reliability within the study sample. The Chinese version of the Perception and Understanding of Human Dignity in Nursing Scale demonstrated acceptable to good psychometric properties among nursing students in China. It can serve as a preliminary valid tool for assessing nursing students’ perception and understanding of human dignity, providing support for dignity-centered nursing education. Further validation in broader and more diverse clinical nursing populations is warranted in the future.