Validity and reliability of the Compassion Fatigue Short Scale among nursing interns

We aimed to determine the reliability and validity of scores from the Chinese Compassion Fatigue Short Scale (CFSS) for nursing interns (n = 229; female = 88.2%, mean age = 20.34 years, SD = 0.968 years). The nursing interns completed the CFSS and the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOLS) for the concurrent score validity assessment. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) yielded two factors from the CFSS: burnout (BO) and secondary traumatic stress (STS). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the Burnout sub-scale was 0.886, 0.841 for the Secondary Traumatic Stress sub-scale, and 0.910 for the total scores, indicating excellent reliability. Concurrent validity of CFSS scores on the ProQOLS was high, with all correlations being statistically significant (p < 0.001). The regression analysis showed that major orientation and career intentions were significant predictors of CF as measured by CFSS scores. The scores from the CFSS appear valid for use with nurse interns in the Chinese context.