Psychometric properties of satisfaction with the childbirth education class questionnaire for Iranian population

Robab Hassanzadeh,Shahla Meedya,Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi,Mojgan Mirghafourvand,Fatemeh Abbas-Alizadeh,Sakineh Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi

doi:10.1186/s12884-020-03349-1

Robab Hassanzadeh, Shahla Meedya + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-020-03349-1

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Abstract

BackgroundChildbirth preparation classes can reduce pregnant women’s anxiety and fear for their childbirth. However, to evaluate women’s feedback and their satisfaction with these classes, there is a need for a standard instrument that is suitable for Iranian context. This study is aimed to translate and conduct a psychometric analysis of the Satisfaction with the Childbirth Education Class Questionnaire (SCECQ) for Iranian population.MethodsThe questionnaire was translated from English into Persian through the forward-backward translation method. The cluster sampling method was employed to select 205 pregnant women with gestational age of 35–37 weeks from all health complexes of Tabriz, Iran. The face, content, and construct validity of the research instrument were assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were measured to evaluate the overall reliability of the questionnaire.ResultsThe impact scores of all items were above 1.5. The content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR) of the questionnaire were 0.88 and 0.94, respectively. The convergent construct validity of the whole questionnaire and those of its three subscales were confirmed through the exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The factor loadings of no items were below 0.3, and the X2/df ratio was smaller than 5. The overall model validity was confirmed by having the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) smaller than 0.08. Cronbach’s alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were 0.93 and 0.96, respectively, indicating the acceptable reliability of the questionnaire.ConclusionThe Persian version of this questionnaire, entitled SCECQ is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring Iranian women’s satisfaction with childbirth education classes.

Highlights

Childbirth preparation classes can reduce pregnant women’s anxiety and fear for their childbirth
A majority of eligible women (96.1%) agreed to participate in the study and 109 pregnant women who did not participate in the childbirth classes were excluded from the study
The language spoken by the researcher and the participants was Azeri but they were fluent in Persian which is the official language of Iran

Summary

Introduction

Childbirth preparation classes can reduce pregnant women’s anxiety and fear for their childbirth. According to a systematic review, the estimated rate of CS in Iran is very high (48%) and three major factors influence the incidence of CS: a) social and demographic factors such as maternal education and grand multiparty, b) obstetric and medical factors such as having a previous CS, and c) non-obstetric and medical factors such as fear of natural vaginal birth [3]. Other studies reported that women’s fear of vaginal birth and labor pain as the most important reasons for preferring CS without any medical reasons [1, 4, 5]. The results of empirical studies, demonstrated that women who participated in childbirth preparation classes managed to adapt better to labor pain, used fewer labor medicines, and had fewer instrumental deliveries [8,9,10]. Lee and Holroyd’s findings showed that pregnant women attending childbirth preparation classes could better manage their pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum period than those who merely received routine care [12]

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