Developing and Validating the Caring Stress Management Scale for Nurses: A Comprehensive Protocol Study

Introduction: To date, most research on nursing stress has addressed the full range of stressors in work environments. Caring stress can be viewed as a specific dimension of occupational stress, focusing on the psychological and physiological strain arising directly from patient care, rather than broader organizational or administrative factors. Objectives: This study aims to explore the general dimensions of caring stress among nurses, focusing on the experiences of nurses working in healthcare facilities interacting with patients. Methods: This study employs an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, interviews and conventional content analysis will gather insights on caring stress and management among nurses, which will inform the development of a preliminary scale. The quantitative phase involves psychometric testing of the scale, including face and content validity assessments, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to confirm construct validity. Reliability will be measured using internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and test-retest methods. Responsiveness and interpretability will also be evaluated to ensure the scale's sensitivity to changes over time. Discussion: By incorporating cultural and workplace factors specific to Iranian nurses, the scale offers a contextually relevant measure of caring-related stress and management strategies. Comprehensive validity and reliability assessments demonstrate the scale's potential as a robust instrument for guiding effective interventions and future research in occupational health among nurses. Conclusion: The development and psychometric evaluation of the Caring Stress Management Scale provides a significant step forward for understanding the specific stressors faced by nurses in caring roles.