Factorial structure and preliminary validation of the Psychological Empowerment Instrument among Polish nurses and midwives and the Psychological Empowerment Instrument for Patients

BACKGROUND The article presents the verification of the factor structure and preliminary validation of the following 2 measures: the Psychological Empowerment Instrument among Polish nurses and midwives, developed by Spreitzer, and the Psychological Empowerment Instrument for Patients developed by Schulz et al. based on Spreitzer's conception. By that theoretical conception, psychological empowerment is an intrinsic motivation manifested in an individual's orientation to his or her work role. Similarly, the patient's psychological empowerment is an intrinsic motivation manifested in an individual's orientation to his or her treatment process. The aim of the study was to test the psychometric properties of the Polish versions of both measures, and to verify the 4-factor structure of psychological empowerment in the samples of Polish nurses and patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study was conducted at 29 hospital wards of 15 Polish hospitals. The participants included 309 nurses or midwives employed in these hospitals, and 305 adult patients. Items were translated from the original English version using the back-translation method. RESULTS The confirmatory factor analysis showed the acceptable fit of the 3-factor model (without the Meaning) among Polish nurses and midwives, and the 4-factor model among Polish patients. The scales of both measures exhibit high reliability. Preliminary evidence for their criterion validity was also provided. CONCLUSIONS The Polish versions of both measures show satisfactory psychometric properties, being suitable for the evaluation of the levels of empowerment in nurses, midwives and patients. Med Pr. 2020;71(5):551-68.