Development and psychometric validation of the distributed leadership scale for nurses

PURPOSE: This study aims to develop a new scale to measure nurses' perceptions of distributed leadership and to test its psychometric properties. Distributed leadership remains an understudied concept in the context of nursing, and no distributed leadership scale specifically tailored for nurses has been identified. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This is a cross-sectional, methodological, descriptive and correlational study. The development of this scale and the determination of its psychometric properties were carried out in three stages. First, a literature review was conducted. In the second stage, a preliminary evaluation of the items was performed. In the third stage, the psychometric properties were assessed. The study evaluated the scale's face, content and construct validity, as well as its internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The psychometric properties of the scale were evaluated in a sample of 550 nurses employed at a state hospital affiliated with the Ministry of Health in Turkey. Data were collected between December 2024 and April 2025. FINDINGS: The content validity index of the scale was 0.86. According to the principal axis factor, the scale consisted of 26 items and three subdimensions, accounting for 62.20% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the fit indices were at an acceptable level for this structure. Reliability analysis demonstrated good internal consistency. The test-retest results indicated that the scale possesses temporal stability. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The distributed leadership scale for nurses is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring nurses' perceptions of distributed leadership. It provides a comprehensive assessment through three subdimensions: collaborative management, leadership skills and collegial support.