Validation of the Hebrew Birth Satisfaction Scale – Revised (BSS-R) and its relationship to perceived traumatic labour

Orit Taubman–Ben-Ari,Colin R Martin,Caroline J Hollins Martin,Vera Skvirsky

doi:10.1080/02646838.2019.1600666

Abstract

ABSTRACTObjective and background: The Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) is a multi-dimensional measure which is recommended by international clinical guidelines for global use as the birth satisfaction outcome measure of choice. The current investigation sought to develop a Hebrew version of the BSS-R for use in the Jewish–Israeli context and examine the relationship between BSS-R domains and the perception of the experience of labour as traumatic.Methods: Following review, translation, and back-translation for linguistic equivalence, a Hebrew version of the BSS-R (H-BSS-R) was prepared and psychometrically evaluated using key indices of validity and reliability. Complete multivariate normal data from 288 first-time Jewish Israeli mothers within two years after childbirth was entered into the analysis.Results: The H-BSS-R was found to have a good fit to the BSS-R tridimensional measurement model, excellent internal consistency, divergent and known-group discriminant validity. Moreover, women who experienced their labour as traumatic had significantly lower H-BSS-R subscale scores than women who reported that their birth experience was non-traumatic.Conclusion: The H-BSS-R is a robust and valid measure suitable for use with Jewish–Israeli women, as well as for investigating the relationship between traumatic labour and birth satisfaction.

Highlights

The 10-item Birth Satisfaction-Revised (BSS-R; Hollins Martin & Martin, 2014) is a contemporary, valid and reliable birth satisfaction questionnaire endorsed by a consensus of international experts for global use as the birth satisfaction outcome measure of choice (The International Consortium for Health Outcome Measurement, 2016)
Details of the development of the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) are beyond the scope of this short report, all information germane to this are available by reference to Hollins Martin and Martin (2014)
No excessive skew or kurtosis was observed in individual item, sub-scale or total Hebrew version of the BSSR (H-BSS-R) scores

Summary

Introduction

The 10-item Birth Satisfaction-Revised (BSS-R; Hollins Martin & Martin, 2014) is a contemporary, valid and reliable birth satisfaction questionnaire endorsed by a consensus of international experts for global use as the birth satisfaction outcome measure of choice (The International Consortium for Health Outcome Measurement, 2016). Details of the development of the BSS-R are beyond the scope of this short report, all information germane to this are available by reference to Hollins Martin and Martin (2014). In Israel, healthcare is universal and participation in a medical insurance plan is compulsory. The healthcare system is based on the National Health Insurance Law, mandating all citizens resident in the country to join an official health insurance organization, which is run as a not-for-profit organization. The goal of the current study was to develop and validate the Hebrew version of the BSSR (H-BSS-R) and examine the relationship of the birth satisfaction construct to the reported experience of labour as traumatic. Our objectives were to: 1. Demonstrate the replicability of the tri-dimensional measurement model of the BSS-R to the H-BSS-R

Methods

Results

Conclusion