The Childbearing Motivation Scale (C-CMS): translation, reliability and validity testing

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Psychometrics
• Sociodemographics

Background:

• Fertility trends are a societal concern, yet childbearing motivation lacks research.
• Existing scales for childbearing motivation are not fully validated.
• Understanding motivation is crucial for fertility intentions and levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Childbearing Motivation Scale.
• To provide a tool for assessing childbearing motivation in reproductive-aged populations.
• To inform strategies for improving fertility intentions and levels.

Main Methods:

• 666 reproductive-aged individuals in Liaoning Province participated.
• Reliability assessed via internal consistency, split-half, and test-retest.
• Validity confirmed through face, content, construct, convergent, and discriminant methods.

Main Results:

• The scale has 2 subscales, 9 dimensions, and 37 items.
• High reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.864-0.954) and content validity (S-CVI 0.933).
• Factor analysis supported the scale's structure and explained 66.453% of variance.

Conclusions:

• The Chinese Childbearing Motivation Scale demonstrates strong psychometric properties.
• It is a valid tool for measuring childbearing motivation in reproductive-aged groups.
• The scale can guide the development of reproductive health education and interventions.