Reliability and validity of the Management of Aggression and Violence Attitude Scale (MAVAS-BR) for use in Brazil

Abstract Background Aggression and violent behavior against health care professionals is a serious problem today and has aroused the interest of researchers and authorities. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Management of Aggression and Violence Attitude Scale – Brazil (MAVAS-BR) for use with Brazilian nurses. Method The MAVAS-BR was applied in a convenience sample of 262 nurses, the data were submitted to an exploratory factor analysis, and reliability was estimated using Cronbach’s alpha. Results The MAVAS-BR is composed of 23 items distributed among four factors, and the Cronbach’s alpha was σ = 0.75. Discussion The MAVAS-BR is a reliable instrument for measuring the attitudes of Brazilian nurses facing aggression and violent behavior. The scale has shown to possess validity and the recommended reliability criteria; however, additional studies using this scale should be performed to offer further evidence of its validity in the context of Brazilian nursing.