Validation of the Turkish caring professional scale among mothers of hospitalized neonates: A psychometric study based on Swanson's theory of caring.

INTRODUCTION: The aim is to adapt the CPS into Turkish and evaluate its psychometric properties specifically among mothers of hospitalized neonates. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 149 mothers at a university hospital NICU. Cross-cultural adaptation followed Beaton et al.'s five-stage framework. Psychometric evaluation included internal consistency (Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using both maximum likelihood on Pearson correlations and unweighted least squares on polychoric correlations, convergent and discriminant validity, and criterion-related validity with the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory empathy subscale. RESULTS: The Turkish CPS demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = 0.961, ω = 0.911). The two-factor model showed excellent fit under polychoric-ULS estimation (CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.001, SRMR = 0.046), and all standardized factor loadings exceeded 0.75. However, the one-factor and two-factor models showed almost identical fit, and the two subscales were highly overlapping, indicating that discriminant validity between them was not established. Significant positive correlations with empathy scores provided support for criterion validity. CONCLUSION: The Turkish CPS demonstrates strong internal consistency and provides initial evidence for model fit in the NICU; however, discriminant validity between the two subscales was not supported, and the total score may be more appropriate than subscale-level interpretation. The findings support the cross-cultural applicability of Swanson's Theory of Caring and emphasize the necessity of using polychoric-based CFA methods for ordinal nursing data. IMPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE: The Turkish CPS provides pediatric nurses and researchers with a brief, theory-based tool to assess maternal perceptions of professional caring in the NICU.