Abstract

Extreme fear of childbirth may interfere with normal process of labor and increase the rate of cesarean section. The aim of this study was to evaluate validity and reliability of a Persian version of Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) among nulliparous women. In this cross-sectional study, 200 nulliparous women of reproductive age were recruited. The original form of the W-DEQ was received from corresponding author (Garthus-Niegel). This questionnaire was translated into Persian language and back-translated to English by three experts in reproductive health and psychiatry who were fluent in Persian and English. Two questionnaires namely the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) were used to check the convergent and divergent validity. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the construct validity, while the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess the convergent and divergent validity of the W-DEQ. Reliability was measured using Cronbach’s coefficient alpha. Factor analysis yielded nine factors that explained 70.06% of the total variation. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.64 and the convergent validity with the BAI questionnaire was (r=0.402) and the divergent validity of W-DEQ with the DASS questionnaire was (r=0.349). The Persian W-DEQ has a good validity and reliability for measuring the fear of delivery in Iranian women of reproductive age. Using this questionnaire for nulliparous women is recommended.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.