Development and psychometric properties of the Compassion Fatigue Assessment Scale for Indian Nurses

Background Compassion fatigue is a significant concern for nurses because they are constantly exposed to suffering. Aims This study aimed to develop and validate a Compassion Fatigue Assessment Scale (CFAS) for Indian nurses. Methods A quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional design was used to evaluate the psychometric properties, including validity and reliability. A total of 200 nurses from two government and two private hospitals participated between February and June 2022. Data were collected using a sociodemographic sheet, CFAS, and the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to assess construct validity, while convergent validity was evaluated using ProQOL. Reliability was tested using the Cronbach’s α coefficient. Results Principal component analysis with varimax rotation identified a ten-factor structure across 36 items, explaining 60.34% of the variance. The extracted domains included “dissatisfaction and burnout,” lack of emotions, “lack of interest,” secondary stress, “hopelessness,” worthlessness, “overwhelming,” compassion, “competency,” and “productivity.” The overall Cronbach’s alpha was 0.88, with the subscale scores ranging from 0.56 to 0.91. The test–retest intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.901, indicating good stability. Conclusions The CFAS demonstrated strong construct validity and internal consistency, making it a reliable tool for assessing and monitoring compassion fatigue among nurses in research and professional settings.