Spanish maternity care student scale shows preliminary psychometric promise

A culturally adapted Spanish version of the Student Perceptions of Respectful Maternity Care scale showed preliminary evidence of validity and internal consistency in a study of 209 undergraduate nursing students and healthcare professionals enrolled as students in the same university training programme. Researchers identified five dimensions—Respectful Care, Safety and Comfort, Supportive Care, Safe Space, and Disrespect and Autonomy—that together explained 41.1% of the total variance in responses. The study combined forward translation, cultural adaptation and a preliminary psychometric evaluation of the resulting instrument, identified by the authors as the PCMR-E scale.

The adaptation process included expert consensus and pilot testing before the measurement properties were assessed. The participants were evaluated as members of a convenience sample drawn from one university training programme, rather than through a study designed to test an intervention or its effects on care delivery. Factor analysis produced the five-part structure, while the scale achieved an internal-consistency value of 0.812, measured with McDonald’s omega.

Together, these results provide preliminary support for the adapted Spanish questionnaire as a potential resource for evaluating perceptions of respectful maternity care. The 41.1% variance result also shows that the five factors did not account for all observed variation in the questionnaire responses. Because the evidence comes from a preliminary evaluation in a convenience sample associated with one university programme, the results should not be treated as definitive confirmation that the instrument will perform similarly in other educational institutions, healthcare settings or Spanish-speaking populations.

The authors said the tool may be useful in training for ethical, communicative and woman-centred care competencies. That is a proposed educational application rather than a demonstrated clinical benefit. The reported analysis did not establish whether using the scale changes students’ behaviour, improves care during pregnancy, childbirth or the postpartum period, or affects maternal health.

The study also does not establish that any of the five factors causes an improvement in care outcomes. Its strongest supported findings are the adapted five-factor structure, the 41.1% share of total variance explained and the internal-consistency coefficient of 0.812, all presented by the researchers as preliminary evidence for the PCMR-E scale.

Subject of Research: Preliminary psychometric evaluation of a Spanish student perceptions of respectful maternity care scale

Article Title: The Spanish version of the Students’ Perceptions of Respectful Maternity Care scale: cultural adaptation and psychometric validation

Article References: Mejuto-Prego, M., & Mena-Tudela, D. (2026). The Spanish version of the Students’ Perceptions of Respectful Maternity Care scale: cultural adaptation and psychometric validation. BMC Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-026-05525-8

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12912-026-05525-8

Keywords: respectful maternity care, Spanish adaptation, psychometric validation, nursing students, factor analysis, internal consistency, questionnaire, maternity care training, Spanish, version, Students, Perceptions