Validity and reliability of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory among Japanese women with cesarean section

This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of the expanded version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Japanese version (PTGI-X-J) among Japanese women who delivered by cesarean section. The study is a cross-sectional survey psychometric study. Participants were 517 Japanese women who were in the hospital after childbirth by cesarean section at six general hospitals and two obstetric clinics in Tokai Region, Japan. They completed a self-report questionnaire-which included sociodemographic and childbirth information and obstetric history, the PTGI-X-J, and the Postnatal Women Version of the Japanese-Language Version of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R-J-PWV). We conducted an exploratory factor analysis to evaluate the factorial validity of the PTGI-X-J. We confirmed the internal consistency reliability of the Postpartum Women Version of PTGI-X-J (PTGI-X-J-PWV) using Cronbach's α coefficients and examined Spearman's correlation coefficients between the PTGI-X-J-PWV and the IES-R-J-PWV. The exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 22-item measure that comprised four factors: strength as mothers, spiritual change as mothers, new possibilities as mothers and appreciation of life, and relating to others as mothers. The PTGI-X-J-PWV exhibited good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.94), and a weak significant positive correlation with the IES-R-J-PWV (rs = 0.18, p < 0.001) was evident. The results of this study indicated that the PTGI-X-J-PWV was a valid and reliable tool for measuring postpartum posttraumatic growth among Japanese women who have delivered by cesarean section. By accurately measuring mothers' posttraumatic growth, midwives and nurses can provide the kind of care that encourages their growth as mothers.