Development of a staying power scale for nurses

Abstract

Nurse retention is a major concern worldwide, as a shortage of experienced nurses can affect the quality and continuity of patient care;however, a reliable tool for evaluating it needs to be developed. This study aimed to develop a Staying Power Scale for Nurses (SPSN) and evaluate its reliability and validity. Following a pilot study, we developed a 35-item SPSN. SPSN reliability was measured using Cronbach’s α, and its validity was tested through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Data from 802 nurses were analyzed (response rate, 38.8%;valid responses, 94.1%);31 items were identified and grouped into four factors:aspiration for nursing development, mission-based team engagement, adaptive thinking, and interpersonal consideration. The overall α coefficient for the SPSN was 0.927;subscale values ranged from 0.871 to 0.901. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the model had acceptable fit indices. The SPSN showed significant positive correlations with the Nurse Resilience Scale, Nurse Work Motivation Scale, and Trait Self-Efficacy Scale, with high reliability and validity. The SPSN is a novel robust tool for assessing nurses’ staying power. J. Med. Invest. 73 : 153-165, February, 2026