Testing the psychometric properties of the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire among nurses in Saudi Arabia.

Purpose: This paper aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the "rater" version of the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire in nursing practice within the context of Saudi Arabia.

Design/methodology/approach: The analysis of the psychometric properties of Avolio et al.'s Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (2007). This version of the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire was in the English language. A convenience sampling method was used to obtain data from 215 Saudi early career nurses working at public hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia. Data analysis included assessing internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) analysis and the exploratory factor analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version. Face and content validity were evaluated using a content validity index, and Mplus was also used to assess the factor structure of the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire by conducting confirmatory factors analysis.

Findings: The results of psychometric testing of the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire provide initial support for the content and construct validity and internal reliability of the instrument among early career nurses in Saudi Arabia.

Originality/value: The results supported that the 16 items of the rater's version of the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire measure nurses' perceptions of the authentic leadership of their leaders. The psychometric properties of the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire yield a valuable contribution to empirical research within the nursing population. The results of this study suggest that the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire will be useful for health service researchers and nursing leaders seeking to understand and capture authentic leadership qualities in Saudi Arabia.