Italian cross-cultural validation of the Scale for the Image of the Nursing Profession

Despite being a university-educated, evidence-based profession, nursing's social image often lags behind its professional reality, particularly in Italy. To translate and validate the Scale for the Image of the Nursing Profession (SINP) for the Italian context. This study followed a six-phase process. A single sample was randomly split for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Test-retest reliability was evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) on a convenience sample. The demographic characteristics of the two sub-groups (sub-group A: N = 874; sub-group B: N = 873) were uniformly distributed (p > 0.05). EFA on 42 items in sub-group A identified five dimensions explaining 54.7% of the variance, removing 12 items with low factor loadings (<0.50). CFA in sub-group B confirmed the robustness of the five-dimensional structure. The overall questionnaire showed strong internal consistency (α = 0.84) and excellent test-retest reliability (r = 0.99, p < 0.001). The I-SINP is a reliable, culturally sensitive tool for assessing public perceptions of nursing in Italy. It provides a valuable resource for policymakers, educators and organisations in enhancing the visibility and recognition of the nursing profession, providing a solid foundation for improving its societal image and, thereby, supporting recruitment and retention within the profession.