Developing and Pretesting a Survey About Immigrant Women's Experiences With Postpartum Depression Screening.

Area of Science:

• Maternal Health
• Cultural Competency in Healthcare
• Survey Development and Validation

Background:

• Postpartum depression (PPD) screening is crucial for maternal well-being.
• Immigrant women may face unique barriers to accessing PPD screening.
• Existing screening tools may not be culturally or linguistically appropriate for diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a survey assessing immigrant women's experiences and reasons for seeking postpartum depression (PPD) screening.
• To evaluate the survey's content validity, cultural appropriateness, and linguistic acceptability.
• To inform the creation of a culturally sensitive PPD screening tool for immigrant women.

Main Methods:

• A three-phase descriptive study guided by the Theory of Care-Seeking Behavior.
• Survey development involved expert content validity ratings (n=9) and feedback from Chinese immigrant women (n=12) via cognitive interviews.
• Revisions were based on expert feedback and participant input to enhance relevance and clarity.

Main Results:

• The survey achieved a strong average content validity index score of .88.
• Participants recommended simplifying language, reducing survey length, improving flow, and clarifying questions.
• Participant feedback affirmed the importance of culturally sensitive PPD screening research.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully revised a survey on immigrant women's PPD screening experiences, ensuring validity and cultural appropriateness.
• Findings highlight the need for tailored approaches to PPD screening for immigrant women.
• The validated survey can aid in understanding and addressing PPD among diverse maternal populations.