Incivility is a growing issue that has been observed globally from elementary school to university. Incivility is defined as any rude speech, action, or behavior that can cause psychological and physiological distress for the individuals involved, which may result in momentary or permanent ailment and damage if incivility is neglected (Clark, 2013a; Clark, 2013b; Clark et al., 2015; Griffin & Clark, 2014). It is also defined as the violation of manners (e.g., yelling, name-calling, vulgar expressions) and deviance from social norms (e.g., threats to democracy and individual rights) (Knepp, 2012). The importance of a positive environment has been identified in the literature and current studies indicate that uncivil behaviors from one or more parties can negatively impact the classroom environment (Carr et al., 2016; Clark, 2017; Natarajan et al., 2017). A safe teaching and learning environment is essential at all levels of education, as it allows students and teachers to learn and teach efficiently.

Incivility in nursing education is widely documented in research studies conducted in Europe (Hakojärvi et al., 2014; Vuolo, 2018), the United States (Clark, 2008; Clark, 2013b; Clark, 2017), Asia (Kim & Son, 2016; Natarajan et al., 2017), Africa (Ibrahim & Qalawa, 2016; Vink & Adejumo, 2015), and Australia (Andersen et al., 2019; Courtney-Pratt et al., 2018). Nursing students experience different types of incivility that could be verbal or non-verbal, apparent or difficult to prove. Faculty incivility toward nursing students included lack of professionalism (e.g., late arrival, cancelling classes without prior notice, coming into class unprepared), being unfair and disrespectful (e.g., humiliation, indifference toward the students) and, in the worst case, physical abuse and sexual harassment. The consequences of these behaviors include decreased or loss of motivation, productivity and performance, and physical symptoms (e.g., sleep disorders, fatigue, nervousness, cardiac and abdominal symptoms, overeating or food aversion). Faculty uncivil behavior also provokes retaliation in the students (Zhu et al., 2019). On the other hand, teachers are also concerned about the increased frequency of incivility among nursing students, such as disruptions in class, negative remarks, leaving early or arriving late, using cell phone, verbally discrediting and making threats toward faculty (Burke et al., 2014; Clark, 2008; Ibrahim & Qalawa, 2016; Rawlins, 2017). These behaviors negatively affect all those involved and the teacher-student relationship.

The revised Incivility in Nursing Education (INE-R) Survey is based on the original INE instrument developed in 2004. It has been translated and validated in non-English languages to measure incivility in nursing programs beyond the United States, such as Arabic (Al-Jubouri et al., 2019; Al-Jubouri et al., 2021), Korean (De Gagne et al., 2016), and Persian (Mohammadipour et al., 2018). The INE-R scale is not available in Italian language; therefore, the aim of the study was to translate and validate the INE-R survey instrument with an Italian sample of nursing faculty (NF) and nursing students (NS).