Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Eldercare Cultural Self-Efficacy Scale

The purpose of this study was to describe the development and psychometric evaluation of the Eldercare Cultural Self-Efficacy Scale (ECSES). Bandura's Theory of Self-Efficacy provided the theoretical framework. The sample consisted of students (N=248) from seven schools of nursing in a northeast state. The psychometric evaluation included: item analysis, principal factor analysis (PFA) with orthogonal rotation, and internal consistency reliability using Cronbach's alpha. Descriptive statistics were used to determine levels of eldercare cultural self-efficacy among the sample. The PFA revealed a four factor structure (Assessing for Lifestyle and Social Patterns, Determining Cultural Health Practices, Determining Cultural Beliefs, and Dealing with Grief and the Losses Associated with Aging) that accounted for 61% of explained variance. The subscales alpha coefficients ranged from .82 to .95. Findings demonstrate the 28 item scale to be a reliable and valid instrument for use in nursing education to examine students' confidence in caring for ethnically diverse elders.