Prosocial behaviour in palliative nurses: Psychometric evaluation of the prosociality scale

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a prosociality scale within the palliative nursing context, and then examine the impact of prosocial behaviour in relation to job and educational satisfaction among palliative nurses.

Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in 25 Italian palliative care centres, with a total of 107 nurses completing the prosociality scale by Caprara et al (2005) . Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were examined to evaluate a multidimensional model of prosociality.

Results: A three-factor solution with a second order factor fitted the data well. The three dimensions extracted were labelled as helping, empathy, and sharing. Participants reported high levels of prosociality. In addition, prosociality was positively associated with job and educational satisfaction.

Conclusions: The prosociality scale was valid and reliable when tested with palliative nurses. Although prosociality may be embedded in nurses' personalities, this quality should be actively promoted to expand and improve the culture and the ethics of nursing.

Keywords: Empathy; Helping; Palliative nurses; Personality; Prosociality.