Aim: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spiritual Coping Strategies scale Arabic version (SCS-A) in a sample of nursing students in Saudi Arabia.
Method: This study had a cross-sectional design with a convenience sample of 100 nursing students in Saudi Arabia. Using the SCS-A and the Muslim Religiosity Scale for data collection, data were analyzed to establish the reliability and validity of the SCS-A.
Findings: Good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α > .70) and stability reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient > .80) were observed. Two dominant factors were extracted from the scale items, the nonreligious coping strategies and religious coping strategies, which accounted for 35.5% and 32.7% of the variance, respectively. The religious coping subscale exhibited a strong positive correlation with the religious practices subscale of the Muslim Religious Involvement Scale ( r = .45, p < .001) and total religiosity score ( r = .48, p < .001) as well as a weak positive correlation with the intrinsic religious beliefs subscale ( r = .25, p < .05). No significant relationship was found between nonreligious coping subscale and the Muslim Religious Involvement Scale.
Conclusion: The SCS-A exhibited an acceptable validity and reliability, supporting its sound psychometric properties with respect to the responses from Saudi nursing students.
Keywords: Saudi Arabia; Spiritual Coping Strategies scale; nursing students; psychometric evaluation; spiritual coping; validity and reliability testing.