Psychometric properties of the Literacy of Suicide Scale (LOSS-SF) and the Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS-SF) in a Hungarian sample

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remains a growing public health concern in the Philippines, where new infections rose by about 550% between 2010 and 2024 and diagnosis gaps persist in CALABARZON. Nurses are often the first and most sustained point of contact in HIV testing and care, yet knowledge gaps, stigmatizing attitudes, and procedure-focused training may limit their ability to provide compassionate, person-centered counseling. This study aims to develop and validate a Caring-Based HIV Counseling Training Program for Nurses in Laguna, Philippines, using a methodological research design and a modified Delphi technique. Registered nurses from selected government and private healthcare facilities in Laguna will complete a researcher-developed training-needs assessment questionnaire covering six competency domains: HIV-related knowledge; counseling and therapeutic communication; caring behaviors and person-centered practice; ethical and legal responsibilities; cultural sensitivity and stigma reduction; and linkage to prevention, treatment, care, and support. The questionnaire will undergo expert review, pilot testing, and reliability testing using Cronbach’s alpha. The needs-assessment findings, together with a review of current literature and guidelines, will inform a preliminary training program, which a multidisciplinary panel of approximately 15 to 20 experts will evaluate over successive anonymous Delphi rounds for relevance, clarity, comprehensiveness, cultural appropriateness, feasibility, and applicability. Consensus is defined in advance as at least 80% expert agreement, a median rating of at least 3.00, and an interquartile range of no more than 1.00. Content validity will be established through an Item-Level Content Validity Index of at least .78 and a Scale-Level Content Validity Index (average) of at least .90, overall agreement will be measured with Kendall’s coefficient of concordance, and the experts’ qualitative comments will undergo directed content analysis. The study is expected to produce an expert-validated, contextually relevant training program that strengthens nurses’ capacity to deliver compassionate, stigma-free HIV counseling, with its effectiveness to be tested in a future pilot or quasi-experimental study.

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the internalised stigma and self-esteem in adult outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) attending a psychiatric outpatient clinic in Iraq, and to explore the relationship between these variables. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational study among 120 adults with MDD who attended psychiatric outpatient clinics of Azadi Teaching Hospital in Kirkuk, Iraq. All participants filled out a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, the Internalised Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMI), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient and simple linear regression. Results: The overall mean ISMI score was 2.90 (SD = 0.42), with the highest scores for stereotype endorsement (M = 3.16) and alienation (M = 3.14) and the lowest for stigma resistance (M = 2.19). The overall mean RSES score was 2.29 (SD = 0.38). There was a negative correlation between internalised stigma and self-esteem (r = −0.338, p < 0.001). Self-esteem was statistically associated with internalised stigma (β = −0.338, t = −3.897, p < 0.001), explaining 11.4% of the variance (R² = 0.114) in simple linear regression. Conclusions: In this single-centre sample of adults with MDD, internalised stigma and self-esteem were inversely related. Since the study is a cross-sectional design, the association observed cannot be considered a causal relationship. The results provide a basis for consideration of the psychosocial aspects of routine psychiatric care (stigma and self-esteem) and for further longitudinal and multicentre research to establish temporal relationships and to determine potentially modifiable factors.

Introduction: Registered dietitians (RDs) are frequently asked to provide guidance and expertise on dietary supplements; however, few assessment tools are available to objectively evaluate their knowledge in this area. A standardized instrument may help identify educational gaps and support the development of supplement-related competencies within dietetics education and practice. Methods: The 25-item Dietary Supplement Knowledge Assessment Tool for Registered Dietitians (DSKAT-RD) was developed to assess key areas of dietary supplement knowledge, including safety, efficacy, regulation, quality, and evidence-based research. Twelve subject-matter experts independently rated the relevance of each item on a 4-point scale. Item-Level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) values were calculated, with ratings of 3 or 4 considered content valid and ≥0.78 considered acceptable. Quantitative ratings and qualitative feedback guided revisions for clarity, accuracy, relevance, and response-option quality. Revised items were reviewed by a 3-member expert subgroup until consensus was reached. Results: Expert review demonstrated high content validity for the DSKAT-RD. Item-level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) values ranged from 0.75 to 1.00, with 24 of 25 items (96%) meeting the predefined acceptability criterion of ≥0.78. Nineteen items (76%) achieved an I-CVI of 1.00, and the Scale-Level Content Validity Index using the average method (S-CVI/Ave) was 0.97. Six items underwent additional review and revision based on quantitative ratings and qualitative expert feedback related to wording, response options, scientific or regulatory accuracy, and content alignment. Following secondary review by three subject-matter experts, all 25 items were retained in the final instrument. Conclusions: The DSKAT-RD demonstrated strong evidence of content validity and provides a structured method for assessing dietary supplement knowledge among RDs.

Background Patient education is an important component of nursing care, influencing treatment outcomes, quality of life, and healthcare costs. However, educational practices are often generalized and may not address patients’ individual needs, health literacy, or socio-cultural contexts. Individualized patient education tailors content to patients’ characteristics, goals, and capabilities, and enhances adherence, satisfaction, and clinical outcomes. Existing tools mainly focus on general aspects of patient education, such as educational quality or provider competencies, and no comprehensive patient-centered tool has been established to assess the individualized nature of patient education. This may constrain systematic assessment and improvement of individualized educational practices. Therefore, this protocol aims to conceptualize individualized patient education, develop a measurement tool, and evaluate its psychometric properties. Methods This two-phase exploratory sequential mixed-methods study will be conducted in educational hospitals affiliated with Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, northwest Iran. Phase 1 will involve hybrid concept analysis, including a literature review and directed qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with patients with chronic diseases and their family members until data saturation, followed by directed content analysis to clarify the concept, identify provisional dimensions, and generate initial items, which will be evaluated quantitatively. Phase 2 will assess the tool’s psychometric properties. Face and content validity will be evaluated using qualitative feedback and the Impact Score, Content Validity Ratio, Content Validity Index, and Modified Kappa coefficient. Construct validity will be examined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses in SPSS v.24 and AMOS v.24, with independent samples of at least 200 participants per analysis. Reliability will be assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega, and test-retest stability. Interpretability and feasibility will also be evaluated. Discussion If the tool demonstrates adequate validity and reliability, it may provide a standardized measure for assessing individualized educational interventions and support quality improvement, patient engagement, and evidence-informed health education strategies.