The Cross-cultural Adaptation of the Begley and Glackens's Assertiveness Scale for use with Nursing Students in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background: Assertiveness is recognized as a crucial skill in the nursing profession since it is capable of reinforcing interprofessional relationships, preventing workplace violence, reducing work stress, improving professional efficacy, leadership skills, autonomy and job satisfaction. When assertiveness is inculcated among nursing students, it will pave the way for a sustainable career. Hence, utilizing a proper mechanism to assess the assertiveness among Sri Lankan nursing students is a valuable investment. Objectives: To adapt the Begley and Glackens's Assertiveness Scale cross-culturally into Sinhala language in order to use among nursing students in Sri Lanka. Methods: Permission to translate, cross-culturally adapt and use the 28-item assertiveness scale was obtained from the developers. The content and consensual validity of translated version were assessed with a two rounded Delphi using five experts and a consensus evaluation. Based on the Delphi Process, items for the Sinhalese assertiveness scale were selected based on the criteria: (i) if 70% or more of the re-ratings were in category 0–3, that item was omitted or re-worded to make it acceptable. If re-worded, the Delphi process was repeated for that item, and (ii) if 70% or more of the re-ratings were in categories 4–6 and 7–9, that item was preserved. Results: Sinhalese version of assertiveness scale showed maximum content validity of all the individual items (I-CVI=1.0) and maximum overall content validity (S-CVI/UA = 1.0; S-CVI/Ave = 1.0). All the items were in category 7-9 and retained. According to suggestions made by some experts, only re-wording of some items was done in order to retain the conceptual meaning when translated to Sinhala. Conclusions: The Sinhala version of Begley and Glackens's Assertiveness Scale has shown good content and consensual validity where it can be utilized as a validated tool to measure the assertiveness among nursing students in the Sri Lankan context.