Turkish validity and reliability of the Aging Simulation Experience Scale for undergraduate students of nursing: A methodological study

The older adult population is growing gradually. The demographic structure is changing with the increasing elderly population. Changing demographic structure may lead to changes in the patient profile that nurses will provide care for. Nurses need to adapt to changing environments, and the quality of care they provide must reflect this. Simulating situations experienced by older adults allows future nurses to gain experience that may help raise awareness without having to face the changing patient profile. There is a need for valid and reliable measurement tools intended to evaluate simulation experiences about aging. The purpose of this study was to adapt the Aging Simulation Experience Scale into Turkish and determine its validity and reliability. A methodological and cross-sectional design was employed. Data were collected between May and June 2023. The validity of the scale was determined using language, content, and construct validity. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and item analysis were used to determine the reliability of the scale. The content validity index of the scale items ranged from 0.80 to 0.95. Item-total correlations of the items ranged from 0.413 to 0.713. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was 0.91 for the perception toward older adults dimension and 0.83 for the simulation experiences dimension. In conclusion, the Turkish form of the Aging Simulation Experience Scale was found valid and reliable.