Childbirth Readiness Scale (CRS): instrument development and psychometric properties

Area of Science:

• Maternal Health
• Psychometrics
• Obstetrics

Background:

• Childbirth preparation is crucial for reducing maternal mortality and enhancing the childbirth experience.
• Existing tools for assessing childbirth readiness are limited in scope and psychometric validation.
• A comprehensive assessment tool is needed for pregnant women in their third trimester.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a new, comprehensive instrument to assess pregnant women's childbirth readiness.
• To evaluate the psychometric properties (reliability and validity) of the newly developed scale.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) were used for scale development.
• Content validity was assessed via Delphi expert consultation.
• Psychometric testing involved 731 pregnant women, utilizing item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis.

Main Results:

• The final 18-item scale comprises four dimensions: Self-management, Information literacy, Birth confidence, and Birth plan.
• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a robust 4-factor structure.
• The scale demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.935) and split-half reliability (0.880).

Conclusions:

• The developed Childbirth Readiness Scale possesses good reliability and validity for comprehensive assessment.
• The scale allows for targeted interventions by identifying specific areas of preparation needed.
• This tool can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of childbirth preparation programs.