A 35-item version of the Caring Dimensions Inventory (CDI-35): multivariate analysis and application to a longitudinal study involving student nurses

The present study was designed to investigate the perceptions of caring among student nurses and how these develop throughout the course of a programme of pre-registration nurse education. A 35-item version of the caring dimensions inventory was administered to a cohort of nursing students in a department of nursing in Scotland at entry to the programme, after 12 months and after 24 months on the programme. Caring was largely perceived through a technical dimension, demonstrated by factor analysis, but other dimensions such as intimacy, support and unnecessary and inappropriate aspects of nursing also became apparent as students progressed through the programme.