Validation of a Spanish version of the Decisional Conflict Scale

Background: In Chile, in approximately 50% of nursing students, nursing was not their first choice as career. Usually, during the first year, these students must decide whether they would like to continue in the same career. A valid tool is needed to identify decisional conflicts and their contributing factors among these students and to develop an appropriate strategy to support them during their decision-making process. Aim: To translate into Spanish and validate the Generic Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS). Material and methods: the DCS was translated from English to Spanish and was used with 331 first-year nursing students at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. The scale was assessed for validity and reliability using statistical tests, including factor analysis and Cronbach alpha test. Results: The Spanish version of the DCS had acceptable validity and reliability. Factorial analysis identified four factors and only the item: "advice" loaded the other factors. Cronbach alpha was 0.80. Conclusions: DCS is a valid and useful instrument to identify decisional conflicts and contribution factors to continue studies among nursing students (Rev Med Chile 2008; 136: 1439-47).