Psychometric testing of the Korean version of the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire: a methodological study

Childbirth-related fears contribute to both physical and psychological challenges in women, including complicated deliveries and postpartum depression. In South Korea, these fears have primarily been assessed using generalized anxiety measurement tools, which have limited accuracy because they do not specifically capture fear related to childbirth. This study aimed to translate the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire (W-DEQ) into Korean and to evaluate its reliability and validity.

A cross-sectional survey design was employed. The Korean version of the W-DEQ was developed using a forward-backward translation process. Data obtained from face-to-face surveys conducted with 200 women were analyzed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the instrument, including its validity and reliability.

The mean age of the participants was 33 years; 32.5% were aged 35 years or older, and 61% were nulliparous expectant mothers. Confirmatory factor analysis identified the best-fitting model and supported construct validity. The Korean W-DEQ consists of 26 items rated on a 6-point scale and encompasses four factors: fear, lack of expectation, isolation, and perceived risk. All factor loadings were ≥0.4, and all item-total correlations exceeded 0.2, indicating acceptable reliability. Convergent and discriminant validity testing supported construct validity. Significant correlations between the Korean W-DEQ and measures of depression and childbirth confidence confirmed its concurrent validity. Nulliparous women scored significantly higher on perceived risk of baby injury than did parous women.

The Korean W-DEQ demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity, confirming its usefulness for assessing maternal fear of childbirth in both nulliparous and multiparous women.