Development and Validation of Breastfeeding Expectations Scale-A (BES-A): A Questionnaire for Pregnant Women

Abstract

The aim of this work was to develop a measurement for the expectations of pregnant women about breastfeeding and examine the psychometric properties of the scale. The study was conducted with two separate samples, including women who were ≥28 weeks pregnant. The first sample, comprising 322 women aged 19 to 49 years (M = 28.19; SD = 4.86), was formed to conduct an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The second sample, which consisted of 274 women aged 18 to 42 years (M = 28.16; SD = 4.85), was formed to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The Prenatal Attachment Inventory and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale were administered. Data were collected between April and November 2021. In the EFA, two factors were obtained: "1: Enthusiastic Expectations of Breastfeeding" and "2: Fearful/Anxious Expectations of Breastfeeding." In the CFA, path diagrams and goodness-of-fit criteria showed that psychometric properties of 12-item and two-factor structure of the scale were sufficient. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of the overall scale and subscales were 0.88, 0.81, and 0.89, respectively. The scale was valid and reliable, and it performed well in measurement of pregnant women’s expectations of breastfeeding about their future breastfeeding experiences.