Psychometric properties of the smartphone use and distraction questionnaire in Spanish and Portuguese nursing students

Abstract

Background & Aim: Smartphone use in nursing education offers both learning benefits and risks of distraction, influenced by cultural and institutional norms. The Nursing Students’ Smartphone Use and Distraction Questionnaire, originally developed in Spanish but never psychometrically validated, was formally validated among Spanish nursing students and simultaneously translated, culturally adapted, and validated for Portuguese nursing students.

Methods & Materials: A psychometric study was conducted among 543 Portuguese and 480 Spanish nursing students enrolled in their second year or higher. The questionnaire was translated and culturally adapted into Portuguese following International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research guidelines. Psychometric evaluation included exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure, Bartlett’s test of sphericity, and internal consistency analysis using Cronbach’s alpha, conducted with IBM SPSS Statistics version 29.

Results: The analysis extracted 26 items across six factors: Clinical Practice Use, Regulatory Policy, Unprofessional Personal Use, Observed Unprofessional Use, Student’s Distraction, and Ethics, explaining 57.8% of the variance in Portugal and 61.8% in Spain. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin values were 0.747 and 0.818, with Bartlett’s test significant in both samples (p < 0.001). Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the total scale were 0.717 (Portugal) and 0.740 (Spain), with subscale values ranging from moderate to good reliability.

Conclusion: The Smartphone Use and Distraction Questionnaire showed valid structural properties and acceptable reliability in two distinct cultural settings. Its adaptability supports use across health professions and diverse countries and cultures, informing evidence-based policies that promote professional smartphone use and reduce distraction in clinical education.