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. 2025 May 10;18(1):209.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-025-07276-2.

Ethical sensitivity questionnaire for nursing students: psychometric properties of the Persian version

Amir Jalali  1 , Azam Sharifi  2 , Behrouz Soltany  2 , Amirhossein Naghibzadeh  3 , Jalal Karimi  3 , Hooman Ghasemi  3 , Parnia Kalhory  2 , Khalil Moradi  4
Affiliations

Ethical sensitivity questionnaire for nursing students: psychometric properties of the Persian version

Amir Jalali et al. BMC Res Notes. .

Abstract

Objective: Nursing students' ethical sensitivity is crucial for providing high-quality patient care. Assessing this sensitivity using standardized tools is essential for both students and professional nurses. This study aimed to determine the properties of cultural adaptation and the psychometric evaluation of the Ethical Sensitivity Questionnaire for Nursing Students (ESQ-NS).

Results: This methodological study, conducted between April and November 2023, involved 480 nursing students who were selected through convenience sampling. The ESQ-NS was translated into Persian following the method described by Wild et al. (2005). The data were analyzed using SPSS (version 27) and LISREL (version 8.8) software. The EFA and CFA validated a three-factor, 13-item structure for the assessment tool. The Pearson correlation coefficient demonstrated a positive and significant correlation between the items and their respective subscales of the overall scale. The reliability of the Persian version of the ESQ-NS was confirmed with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.781, a MacDonald's Omega coefficient of 0.78, and an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) of 0.78 (CI: 0.743- 0.816). The Persian version of the ESQ-NS demonstrates acceptable reliability and validity, making it a suitable tool for evaluating the ethical sensitivity of nursing students in Iran.

Keywords: Ethical; Nursing students; Reliability; Validity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was granted written authorization by the developer of the scale. Moreover, the Ethics Committee of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences reviewed and approved the research, assigning it the ethical code: IR.KUMS.REC.1401.239. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. The study was conducted in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration, adhering to appropriate guidelines and regulations throughout the procedures. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Scree plot of the exploratory factor analysis of the Persian version of the ethical sensitivity questionnaire for nursing students (ESQ-NS)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Three-factor model of the ethical sensitivity questionnaire for nursing students (ESQ-NS)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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