Development of a valid and reliable scale to measure the sense of difficulty continuing work among midwives working at hospitals. (English)

Purpose The purpose of this study was to first develop a scale to measure the sense of difficulty continuing work felt by individual midwives to provide career building support for midwives working at hospitals and then test the reliability and validity of the scale. Methods Questions for the scale were selected based on the literature and past studies on the sense of difficulty continuing work that focused on midwives, and a draft scale to measure the sense of difficulty continuing work among midwives working at hospitals was developed. Experts assessed the appropriateness of the questions, and a revised draft of the scale was developed with 47 questions. Questionnaires were subsequently administered to 694 midwives working at hospitals and clinics to test the reliability and validity of the scale. Results Valid responses were received from 509 midwives (response rate: 87.8%). Nine items were removed based on the results of item analysis. Factor analysis was conducted (major factor method, promax rotation) and the number of items was adjusted according to the criteria. The final scale had a five-factor structure comprising 23 items: five items in factor I [Factors related to building relationships]; five items in factor II [Factors related to duties as a midwife]; five items in factor m [Factors related to utilizing expertise]; five items in factor IV [Factors related to flexible adjustment of work methods]; and three items in factor V [Factors related to work roles]. The temporary model was examined using confirmatory factor analysis, which showed an acceptable fit. Known-groups validity comparisons revealed significantly higher total scores for midwives who wanted to quit than for midwives who wanted to continue working and midwives who wanted to continue working for a fixed term (p<0.001). Strong correlations were observed between total scale score and the subscales of the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (r=-0.55 to -0.78). Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the scale was 0.91. Stability was confirmed with the re-test method (r=0.77). Conclusions The scale to measure the sense of difficulty continuing work among midwives working at hospitals comprised 23 questions in five factors and was confirmed to be both reliable and valid. This scale may be an effective tool for assessing the sense of difficulty continuing work in midwives working at hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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