Title

A study of the relationship between cross-cultural training, the scale to assess world views, and the quality of care given by nurses in a psychiatric setting

Date of Completion

January 1988

Keywords

Health Sciences, Mental Health|Health Sciences, Nursing|Psychology, Clinical

Degree

Ph.D.

Abstract

This research was designed to examine the relationship between training in the use of the Scale to Assess World Views and transcultural nursing and client perception of nurse caring. The Scale to Assess World Views is a cultural assessment tool that was used by nurses in the study to identify the values and beliefs of clients. The study focused on individual value orientations with an emphasis on within group variation. Using the assumption that individual variation within cultures is a significant factor, this study focused on variant value orientations rather than dominant value orientations. A second assumption posits that each nurse-client interaction is, to a certain degree, a cross-cultural encounter. In addition to client perception of nurse caring, client perceived empathy was also investigated.^ The sample consisted of two groups: nurses and hospitalized clients. A combination of two designs was used: a pretest postest control group design and a postest only control group design. Nurse participants were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. All nurses were pretested on empathy. At the completion of the experimental treatment, all nurses were postested on empathy. One month after completion of postesting, nurses in the experimental group began to use the Scale to Assess World Views with clients. Over the next three months, data were collected from clients on nurse caring and empathy.^ Data were analyzed using the following procedures: one-way analysis of variance, repeated measures analysis of variance, and the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient. Significance was determined at the.05 level.^ Four null hypotheses were tested. Three were rejected. There was a significant difference between groups on client perceived nurse empathy and nurse caring. There also was a significant interaction between time of testing and group membership on empathy scores. There was no correlation established between nurses' self-rating of empathy and client perception of nurse caring.^ The results suggest that cross-cultural training and the use of the Scale to Assess World Views can enhance quality of nursing care. ^

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