Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Validation of a Thai Version of the Turnover Intention Scale (T-TIS) for Thai Nursing Professionals.

BACKGROUND

Turnover intention predicts actual turnover and is vital in nursing. Despite many tools to assess turnover intention, few are culturally adapted or validated for Thai nurses.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Thai version of the Turnover Intention Scale (T-TIS).

METHODS

A two-phase methodological study was conducted. Phase 1 involved translating and cross-culturally adapting the original scale in accordance with established international guidelines. Phase 2 evaluated the psychometric properties of the translated instrument among 1005 registered nurses at two tertiary government hospitals in Thailand. Content validity, known-group validity, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), internal consistency, and Rasch analysis were assessed.

RESULTS

The T-TIS demonstrated excellent content validity (I-CVI = 1.00; S-CVI = 1.00). Known-group validity was supported by significant differences in T-TIS scores across groups defined by burnout, emotional labour, work-family conflict, nursing practice environment, work engagement, and effort-reward imbalance (all p < 0.001; η2 = 0.05-0.30; Cohen's d = 0.93). CFA reasonably supported the hypothesized unidimensional structure, with acceptable model fit (CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.92, SRMR = 0.04), although the RMSEA indicated marginal fit (0.09). Internal consistency was satisfactory (Cronbach's α = 0.77; McDonald's ω = 0.78). Rasch analysis further supported the scale's measurement properties, demonstrating acceptable item fit (infit/outfit MNSQ = 0.77-1.27), acceptable person separation index (0.77), and strong item separation (17.00).

CONCLUSIONS

The T-TIS is a reliable, valid instrument for assessing turnover intention among Thai nurses, providing a practical tool for workforce monitoring, retention research, and policy in Thailand.