Abstract
BackgroundLow income postpartum mothers with little to no social support have increased maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, especially those with limited English proficiency and limited accesses to resources. Haitians, a growing minority in the US are an understudied population excluded from most studies due to the lack of instruments in Creole. The most widely used instruments for measuring social support, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and Perceived Adequacy of Resource Scale (PARS), are not available in Creole. Currently, there are no published studies on the psychometric properties of the MSPSS or the PARS in Creole. Data from Haitian mothers are needed to identify potential postpartum mothers and infants most at risk of developing adverse maternal and infant outcomes from a lack of social support and perceived resources. The purpose of this study is to test the psychometrics of the newly-translated Creole instruments of the MSPSS and PARS with a sample of bilingual (Creole/English) mothers.MethodsThe MSPSS and PARS were translated and back translated from English to Creole. The adapted Creole versions of the instruments were tested using a convenience sample. A total of 85 Haitian mothers’ completed both instruments in Creole and English 2 weeks apart.ResultInternal consistency reliability and stability were strong for both the MSPSS and PARS (.91–.99). The two instruments had strong reliability and validity for the translated Creole versions and similar to the English versions.ConclusionThe MSPSS and PARS are a valid measure of perceived social support and resources. Psychometric findings suggest that the newly translated Creole versions are good representations of the English versions indicating the translation process was successful. The newly translated instruments available in Creole provide non-English speaking Haitian mothers the opportunity to participate in studies.
Highlights
Low income postpartum mothers with little to no social support have increased maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, especially those with limited English proficiency and limited accesses to resources
The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and Perceived Adequacy of Resource Scale (PARS) are a valid measure of perceived social support and resources
The newly translated instruments available in Creole provide nonEnglish speaking Haitian mothers the opportunity to participate in studies
Summary
Low income postpartum mothers with little to no social support have increased maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, especially those with limited English proficiency and limited accesses to resources. Postpartum mothers with little to no social support and inadequate resources experience poor physical and emotional maternal and infant health outcomes This is especially true for those of low incomes, minority status, limited English proficiency and inadequate access to health care [1,2,3,4,5,6]. English versions of these instruments have reported strong reliability and validity. By having reliable and valid Creole versions of these instruments would allow this important group of postpartum Haitians mothers to be included in studies examining their social support and adequacy of resources
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