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- Title
Measuring Fear of Childbirth Among a Diverse Population in the United States: A Revised Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Scale (WDEQ‐10).
- Authors
Roosevelt, Lee; Zielinski, Ruth; Seng, Julia; Low, Lisa Kane
- Abstract
Introduction: The current gold standard instrument used to measure fear of childbirth is the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (WDEQ). However, the existing scale is long, has translational challenges, and lacks data specific to experiences of a diverse population in the United States, making it challenging to assess how fear of childbirth impacts perinatal health care disparities. The objective of this study was to revise the WDEQ and analyze its reliability and validity for use in the United States. Methods: The questionnaire was revised using qualitative data from a previously published study of fear of childbirth within a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse group of pregnant or postpartum people in the United States. Psychometric properties were analyzed in terms of construct validity, reliability, and factor analysis from a group of 329 participants. Results: The revised and shortened 10 item WDEQ‐10 comprises 3 subscales: fear of environmental factors, fear of death or injury, and fear of how they feel. The results indicate that the WDEQ‐10 demonstrates good reliability and validity and confirmed the multidimensionality of fear of childbirth through a 3‐factor solution. Discussion: The WDEQ‐10 is a readable and accessible instrument that will allow health care providers and researchers to accurately measure complex components of how pregnant people experience fear of childbirth.
- Subjects
UNITED States; CHILDBIRTH &; psychology; EXPERIMENTAL design; RELIABILITY (Personality trait); RESEARCH evaluation; RESEARCH methodology evaluation; RESEARCH methodology; PREGNANT women; FEAR; DISCRIMINANT analysis; PSYCHOMETRICS; MULTITRAIT multimethod techniques; PEARSON correlation (Statistics); FACTOR analysis; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; QUESTIONNAIRES; DATA analysis software; ATTITUDES toward death; EVALUATION
- Publication
Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, 2023, Vol 68, Issue 5, p581
- ISSN
1526-9523
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/jmwh.13514