RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 The mental state inferences in healthcare professionals scale: a psychometric study
A1 Betancort Montesinos, Moisés
A1 Delgado, Naira
A1 García-Marco, Enrique
A1 Morera, María Dolores
A1 Lorenzo, Elena
A1 Harris, Lasana T.
A2 Psicología ClínicaPsicobiología y Metodología
K1 Health psychology
K1 Psychometric testing
K1 Empathy
K1 Nurse – patient interaction
AB ackground Empathizing with patients is an essential component of effective clinical care. Yet, a debate persistsregarding how healthcare professionals’ emotions and performance are impacted when they engage in empatheticbehaviors and attempt to discern patients’ mental states during clinical interactions. To approach this issue, this studyexplores the psychometric properties of the Mental State Inferences in Healthcare Professionals Scale (MSIHPS), anovel eight-item scale to evaluate healthcare professionals’ perceptions of their own disposition to infer patients’mental states during clinical interactions.Method The study was conducted across various units within a regional hospital and primary care units affiliatedwith the Canarian Public Health Service in Spain. Data collection took place over the course of 2022, spanningfrom February to November. The psychometric properties of the scale were analyzed, including an exploratory anda confirmatory factor analysis, to test reliability and validity. Additionally, an item response model was run to testpotentially biased items. The study collected data from a sample of 585 healthcare professionals.Results Overall, the results indicate that the psychometric properties of the tool are adequate. Furthermore, theunidimensionality of the scale was confirmed using the item response model, wherein the eight-items significantlycontribute to predicting the latent construct.Conclusion The MSIHPS offers the opportunity to explore the role of mentalizing in a diversity of healthcare settings.This measure can be useful to explore the relationship between healthcare professionals’ disposition to infer patients’mental states and other relevant variables in clinical interactions, such as empathy and clinical performance.
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/39904
UL http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/39904
LA en
DS Repositorio institucional de la Universidad de La Laguna
RD 08-ene-2025