Objective:

The study was intended to validate Ryff’s psychological well-being scales in nursing and to relate them to key variables in the quality of life at work.

Materials and method:

Four hundred thirty-three (433) professionals took part through an anonymous, self-administered electronic survey; 33.1% were nursing professionals (n = 123) and the authors focused on them. In addition to sociodemographic data, information was collected on psychological well-being, mindfulness, coping with death, and quality of life. Construct validity was evaluated through confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was estimated and evidence of external validity was collected.

Results:

The model showed adequate adjustment: X2(362) = 438.59 (p = 0.01), CFI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.05 [0.03-0.06] and adequate reliability for all the dimensions except autonomy. The dimensions of well-being were moderately and positively with self-awareness, coping with death, and satisfaction from compassion, and negatively with fatigue from compassion and burnout. The association between dominance of the environment and burnout (-0.54), purpose in life and satisfaction (0.54) and coping with death (0.50) stood out.

Conclusions:

The results support the use of these scales in nursing, since they demonstrate adequate reliability and validity. In fact, several of them explain up to a quarter of the relevant indicators in occupational health, such as burnout or satisfaction with life.

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