Psychometric testing of the Persian version of the Belongingness Scale-Clinical Placement Experience

Psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of the Sense of Belonging in Nursing School (SBNS): a quantitative and cross-sectional design

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric indicators of the Persian version of the Sense of Belonging in Nursing School scale (SBNS).

METHODS

The study conducted in Shahroud and Semnan schools of nursing and midwifery in Iran examined nursing students using a cross-sectional approach by convenience sampling method from 3/6/2023 to 24/8/2023. To assess the SBNS scale, the forward-backward procedure was used to translate it into Persian. Face and content validity were evaluated, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted with sample sizes of 200 and 182, respectively. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, MacDonald's omega, and intra-class correlation coefficient.

RESULTS

The exploratory factor analysis resulted in the exclusion of four items, leaving a final selection of 15 items. These items were categorized into three factors: classmates, clinical staff, and inclusive educational environment, which accounted for 49.16% of the overall variance. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the model was a good fit for the observed data, and the subscales had high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.752 to 0.880) and stability (intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.889 to 0.968).

CONCLUSION

According to the results, it can be concluded that the Persian version of the SBNS scale demonstrates sufficient validity and reliability in assessing students' sense of belonging to the nursing school.

Bullying behaviors and intention to drop-out among nursing students: the mediation roles of sense of belonging and major satisfaction

Bullying in academic settings has long-lasting implications on students' well-being and career prospects, particularly in fields like nursing that require a high level of interpersonal skills and emotional resilience. This study explored the relationships between experiences of bullying and intentions to drop out among Iranian nursing students, with major satisfaction and a sense of belonging serving as mediating factors. A cross-sectional research design was employed from April to June 2023. Undergraduate nursing students (n = 386) filled out a five-part questionnaire namely demographic and educational information, bullying behaviors in nursing education environments, the Belongingness scale, intention to drop out, and academic major satisfaction scale. The study confirmed that experiences of bullying positively correlated with intentions to drop out, negatively affected students' sense of belonging and major satisfaction, and established that course satisfaction and a sense of belonging acted as mediators between bullying and intentions to drop out. The findings show the urgent need for anti-bullying interventions targeting faculty behavior and educational strategies aimed at fostering a sense of belonging and course satisfaction among nursing students.

The Relationship between Metacognitive Beliefs with Clinical Belongingness and Resilience among Novice Nurses in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Background

The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a sensitive ward for nurses. However, the low nurse-to-patient ratio has led to the hiring of novice nurses into the critical areas such as NICUs. These nurses are in need of help in the clinical environment as they have no much experience caring the neonates in the real clinical setting. Therefore, it is necessary to address the individual and psychological capacities with the help of which a person can overcome the difficult situations. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between metacognitions, clinical belongingness, and resilience of novice nursing staff in NICU wards.

Method

This study is a descriptive-analytical study, and the research samples were composed of 78 novice nursing staff of Neonatal Intensive Care Units from teaching hospitals. Samples were selected via a purposive sampling method. Research tools included demographic, Wells and Hatton metacognitive beliefs, Jones Levitt belonging, and Connor-Davidson resilience questionnaires. SPSS 22 software was used for data analysis.

Results

The mean score of metacognitive beliefs in novice nursing staff was 92.67 ± 13.69, and it was 116.69 ± 19.11 for belongingness and 78.78 ± 14.73 for resilience. There is positive and significant relationship between metacognitive beliefs and belongingness (p < 0.019, r = 0.265). In addition, the relationship between metacognitive beliefs and resilience in novice nursing staff was positive and significant (p < 0.001, r = 0.359).

Conclusion

There is a positive relationship between metacognitive beliefs with belongingness and resilience of novice nurses; nursing managers can consider educational metacognition workshops to enhance the sense of belongingness and resilience of novice nursing staff leading to improve their clinical performance in neonatal care.

Firm-Level Analysis of Global Supply Chain Network: Role of Centrality on Firm’s Performance

Over the past few years, academics and practitioners have started paying more attention to analyze and understand value creation and business models from a business ecosystem perspective. Such business ecosystems have been constructed based on the connected networks of people, firms, industries, and countries. Developing strategies to help sustain the firms’ competitive advantage in business ecosystems is a key challenge for businesses and policymakers worldwide. Recent disruptions to global supply chains due to the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed the high risk and challenges of managing sustainable global and intertwined supply chain networks. Using the data mined from financial records, the present study constructs the global supply chain network of the auto manufacturing sector. The data from 32,396 notable first-tier forward and backward supply chain connections were mined to build the global supply chain network in this sector. The global supply chain network structure was analyzed using centrality measures and clustering analysis. We utilized path analysis to explore the effect of various supply chain centrality measures on firms' financial performance, investment risk, and market value volatility. The findings provide new insight into our understanding of the relationship between the firm's location characteristics in the global supply chain ecosystem and various aspects of the asset's performance. Furthermore, discussions are presented about strategies that support sustainable collaborative value creation and sustainable competitiveness of businesses across the global manufacturing ecosystems. The research method used in this study has the potential to be applied to several industries.

Moral intelligence, clinical placement experience and professional behaviors among Iranian undergraduate nursing students in a baccalaureate nursing program: A descriptive correlational study

AIMS

This study was intended to examine the relationship of both moral intelligence (MI) and Clinical Placement Experience (CPE) with the level of nursing students' professional behaviors (PB).

BACKGROUND

The foundation of belief, belonging and ethical values develop PB as a meaningful attribute during the period students and caring for patients.

DESIGN

A descriptive correlational study was conducted.

METHODS

Descriptive data were derived from the Belongingness Scale-Clinical Placement Experience (BES-CPE), the Moral Intelligence Questionnaire (MIQ) and the Nursing Students Professional Behaviors Scale (NSPBS) including 200 students (response rate 94.5%).

RESULTS

We found a statistically strong positive correlation between NSPB, MI and CPE. The regression model accounted for 57.8% of the variance in NSPB; CPE and MI were significant explanatory variables of NSPB. Moreover, the non-employed dormitory students had a significant statistical difference in the scores of all three variables. Female students had significantly higher CPE and MI (p˂0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

According to our findings, preventive and mediation endeavors for nursing students can explicitly target their behavioral skills to reduce perceived rejection and improve morality. As a result, an optimal plan to improve the quality of professional training courses for students should be designed based on the comprehension of clinical belonging and moral intelligence.

The psychometric evaluation of the sense of belonging instrument (SOBI) with Iranian older adults

BACKGROUND

A sense of belonging is a significant predictor of mental health and well-being in later life. A sense of belonging in childhood and adolescence contributes to a number of adult behavioural and psychological outcomes. A high sense of belonging has been associated with better health, longevity, psychological well-being, and disease recovery.

METHODS

In this study, the Persian version of the Sense of Belonging Instrument (SOBI) for older adults in Iran was evaluated psychometrically to develop an accurate measure for belonging. Participants in the study were 302 older adults, 60 years old and above, living independently in Iran and chosen through convenience sampling.

RESULTS

An exploratory factor analysis indicated that the four-factor structure, which included 16 items, accounted for 54.12% of the total variance, and was characterized by strong factor loadings, with values ranging from .50 to .87. Thereafter, a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the four-factor latent structure of the SOBI, providing adequate data-model fit statistics. All latent structures were characterized by adequate-to-strong latent construct (H) internal reliability (α) coefficients.

CONCLUSIONS

The Persian version of the SOBI is a useful tool in understanding older adult patients' sense of belonging when living independently within the community. The implications for practice and research are discussed.

Development of the Measure of Experiential Aspects of Participation for People With Physical Disabilities

OBJECTIVES

To create a parsimonious, psychometrically sound measure of experiential aspects of participation (MeEAP) for people with physical disabilities.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

Online survey.

PARTICIPANTS

Respondents were a purposive sample of adults (N=228, n=118 female, mean age=49.66±14.71, range=19-83). Each respondent indicated having a physical disability and participating in employment, mobility, sport, and/or exercise life domains.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The MeEAP was designed to be conceptually aligned with 6 experiential aspects of participation among people with physical disabilities: autonomy, belongingness, challenge, engagement, mastery, and meaning.¹ The measure was also designed to be relevant across employment, mobility, sport, and exercise life domains. Higher scores on MeEAP items were hypothesized to be associated with higher levels of life satisfaction.

RESULTS

The final 12-item scale (2 items per subscale) had strong model fit (Satorra-Bentler scaled χ²₍₃₉₎=58.26, P<.001, comparative fit index=.98, Tucker-Lewis index=.96, root mean square error of approximation=.05, standardized root mean square residual=.03) and good reliability and validity estimates. Results of regression analyses indicated that the MeEAP explained 10%-29% of the variance in life satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

The MeEAP is the first measure to capture all 6 experiential aspects of participation for individuals with physical disabilities across 4 major life domains. The MeEAP can be used as an outcome measure or as a mediator to help explain broader outcomes (eg, life satisfaction). The MeEAP could also be used for program evaluation to provide insights about the types of interventions needed to promote full participation.

Belongingness: Student ODPs' learning experiences in clinical placements

The aim of this qualitative study is to explore student operating department practitioners' (ODPs') experiences of belongingness in clinical placements. Belongingness has been shown to be significant for learning in clinical placements for student nurses and midwives. This study was designed to look specifically at student ODPs' experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight student ODPs. The interviews were transcribed and coded. All student ODPs could describe clinical placement experiences where they felt they belonged and those where they felt they did not belong. Both had a significant impact on students' learning experience. Students also described their own sense of responsibility for belonging while in placement. This study provides qualitative data to help understand how belongingness can positively or negatively affect the learning experiences of student ODPs in clinical placements.

Factors Affecting the Belongingness Sense of Undergraduate Nursing Students towards Clinical Setting: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: One of the most important needs of the students to work reliably in the clinical setting is the feeling of belongingness. Understanding and recognizing such a distinguishing feature among students can reduce their stress and tension. The current research aimed at studying the experiences of belongingness among nursing students in clinical settings.

Methods: In this conventional content analysis study, 12 nursing students were selected from Lorestan University of Medical Sciences by purposive method. In-depth interviews were employed to collect data. All interviews were recorded and transcribed for analyses. Data collection and analysis were carried out at the same time.

Results: The nature of belongingness with respect to clinical setting was expressed and classified in five themes and 11 subthemes. Five concepts (themes), which constituted the nature of nursing students’ experiences, were as follows: moving in the direction of evolvement, attention to human and ethical values, professional integrity, achieving inner satisfaction, and the environment conformity with learner.

Conclusion: The issue of belongingness and its promotion are of utmost importance. The clinical staff, including head nurses and nurses, must perform their roles properly in providing supportive and facilitative clinical environment, positive and constructive interactions, and professional development contexts for students, so that they feel being accepted and valued.