Journal article
Psychometric properties of the Fear of Birth Scale in women in the perinatal period: A multicountry study
Journal of affective disorders, Vol.374, pp.365-380
01/04/2025
PMID: 39818333
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Source: InCites
Abstract
Assessing Fear of Birth Scale's (FOBS) psychometric properties in the perinatal period using multicountry data is a step toward effectively screen clinically significant fear of childbirth (FOC) in maternal healthcare settings. FOBS psychometric properties were analyzed in women in the perinatal period using data from Australia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and Portugal. FOBS' reliability, criterion (known group and convergent), concurrent, predictive, and clinical validity were analyzed. FOBS was completed by 3431 women in pregnancy (n = 2984) or postpartum (n = 447). Sociodemographic, obstetric, neonatal, and mental health-related data, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and tokophobia severity were self-reported. FOBS has good reliability. Known-group validity was established based on differences in sociodemographic, obstetric, neonatal, and mental health-related variables. Convergent validity was found with depressive and anxiety symptoms, and birth trauma. Concurrent validity was found with tokophobia severity. FOBS scores in pregnancy predicted elective cesarean section, and postpartum depressive and anxiety symptoms. FOBS discriminates between women with and without clinically significant FOC in pregnancy and postpartum, with optimal cut-offs across countries. This multicountry study suggested that FOBS is a psychometrically strong measure that can be an effective tool to screen clinically significant FOC in the perinatal period.
Details
- Title
- Psychometric properties of the Fear of Birth Scale in women in the perinatal period: A multicountry study
- Creators
- Matilde Sousa - Universidade LusófonaDaniela Fidalgo - Lusófona University, HEI-Lab: Digital Human-Environment Interaction Labs, PortugalCláudia Sousa - Universidade LusófonaSusan Garthus-Niegel - Institute for Systems Medicine (ISM) and Faculty of Human Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, GermanyOlga Riklikienė - Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, LithuaniaPaulina Pawlicka - Department of Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, PolandJulie Jomeen - Southern Cross UniversityInês Jongenelen - Lusófona University, HEI-Lab: Digital Human-Environment Interaction Labs, PortugalLara Seefeld - TUD Dresden University of Technology (Germany, Dresden)Gabija Jarašiūnaitė-Fedosejeva - Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, LithuaniaBarbara Baranowska - Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education (Poland, Warsaw)Kathleen Baird - School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, AustraliaDiogo Lamela - Lusófona University, HEI-Lab: Digital Human-Environment Interaction Labs, PortugalRaquel Costa - Lusófona University, HEI-Lab: Digital Human-Environment Interaction Labs, PortugalTiago Miguel Pinto - Lusófona University, HEI-Lab: Digital Human-Environment Interaction Labs, Portugal
- Publication Details
- Journal of affective disorders, Vol.374, pp.365-380
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V
- Number of pages
- 16
- Grant note
- This work was partially funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology—FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education), under the grant HEI-LAB (UIDB/05380/2020; doi identifier https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/05380/2020) and project 2022.01825.PTDC (http://doi.org/10.54499/2022.01825.PTDC). This research was funded by “la Caixa” Foundation's Social Research Call 2023 under the project code LCF/PR/SR23/57000014. Funding was received in Portugal by the FSE and FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Individual CEEC 2023.06934.CEECIND [RC]).
- Identifiers
- 991013250698302368
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Author(s).
- Academic Unit
- Nursing; Faculty of Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article