Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the nurses sexual harassment scale: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Sexual harassment experienced by nurses in the workplace is a serious occupational health hazard that undermines their physical and psychological well-being, reduces job satisfaction, and thereby increases the risk of turnover and burnout. Methods: Between December 2024 and January 2025, a total of 500 nurses from five hospitals in China were recruited for the study. The Chinese version of the nurse sexual harassment scale underwent cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation in accordance with the Beaton guidelines and the COSMIN checklist. The psychometric properties, including content validity, structural validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and measurement error. Results: The Chinese version of the nurse sexual harassment scale is composed of 14 items divided into two dimensions: latent sexual harassment and manifest sexual harassment. The scale demonstrated a scale-level content validity index of 0.972, with item-level content validity index values ranging from 0.8 to 1.00. Exploratory factor analysis identified two factors that accounted for 77.785% of the total variance, while confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a good fit for the two-factor model. The overall Cronbach’s alpha of scale was 0.956, a test-retest reliability of 0.847, and the Cronbach’s alpha of latent and manifest sexual harassment dimensions were 0.931 and 0.972, respectively. Furthermore, the smallest detectable change was 2.321, and the scale demonstrated satisfactory responsiveness. Conclusions: The Chinese version of the nurse sexual harassment scale displays strong validity and reliability, making it an effective tool for assessing nurses’ experiences of sexual harassment within the Chinese cultural context.