A validation of the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale 12-item research short-form for use during global crises with five translations

Abstract

Background Global crises inevitably increase levels of anxiety in postpartum populations. Effective and efficient measurement is therefore essential. This study aimed to create a 12-item research short form of the 51-item Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale [PSAS] and validate it for use in rapid response research at a time of global crises [PSAS-RSF-C]. We also present the same 12-items, in five other languages (Italian, French, Chinese, Spanish, Dutch) to increase global accessibility of a psychometric tool to assess maternal mental health. Methods Twelve items from the PSAS were selected on the basis of a review of their factor loadings. An on-line sample of UK mothers (N = 710) of infants up to 12 weeks old completed the PSAS-RSF-C during COVID-19 ‘lockdown’. Results Principal component analyses on a randomly split sample (n = 344) revealed four factors, identical in nature to the original PSAS, which in combination explained 75% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analyses (n = 366) demonstrated the four-factor model fit the data well. Reliability of the overall scale and of the underlying factors in both samples proved excellent. Conclusions Findings suggest the PSAS-RSF-C may prove useful as a clinical screening tool and is the first postpartum-specific psychometric scale to be validated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This offers psychometrically sound assessment of postpartum anxiety. By increasing the accessibility of the PSAS, we aim to enable researchers the opportunity to measure maternal anxiety, rapidly, at times of global crisis.

Creation and validation of the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale Research Short-Form (PSAS-RSF)

“…The factor structure of the PSAS (Table 2) was assessed using all the participants in sample 1 (n = 672). First, the parallel analysis suggested there were four factors which is consistent with the original 51-item measure (Fallon et al 2016) and the 12-item crisis short-form (Silverio et al 2021). The PCA demonstrated that the sampling adequacy for the scale was excellent (KMO = 0.95) and Bartlett's test of sphericity indicated sufficient correlations for PCA (χ 2 (1275) = 15,634.93, p < .001).…”

“…A common consequence of creating short-form measures is reduced psychometric qualities in comparison to their original counterparts due to the fact that there are fewer items measuring the construct (Widaman et al 2011). While the PSAS offers a more detailed assessment of anxiety, the PSAS-RSF performed comparably well to its parent form and reduces potential response burden, particularly when used alongside a battery of measures or in a health care setting (see also PSAS-RSF-C; Silverio et al 2021). Furthermore, the original…”

“…Predictive validity has also been confirmed in relation to infant feeding outcomes and behaviours (Fallon et al 2018) and maternal bonding (Fallon et al 2021), with the PSAS predicting unique variance in these outcomes after controlling for the STAI. At the time of writing, the PSAS has been requested for use, translation, and/ or validation by 53 different research teams across 29 countries demonstrating a broad global interest in the tool and its ability to measure maternal-and infant-focused anxieties (see also Silverio et al 2021). While the PSAS demonstrates good capability as a valid and reliable measure of PPA, there have been increasing requests for a shorter version to aid accessibility.…”

Psychometric evaluation of the postpartum specific anxiety scale in an Iranian population (PSAS-IR)

“…After gaining the necessary permissions from the PSAS working group, the original version was translated from English into Persian using approved translation methods [ 21 ]. This was done by a native translator with good command of the Persian language.…”

A Qualitative Analysis of Feelings and Experiences Associated With Perinatal Distress During the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…For example, fear of contracting the virus and its consequences presented a particular worry for pregnant women, who were initially considered more 'vulnerable' to COVID-19 than the general population [30][31][32][33] Furthermore, women faced uncertainty around perinatal care [5,32,34,35], Health Visitors were redeployed in some parts of the UK, and many families reported not experiencing the perinatal care that they had expected [35,36]. Lockdown instigated to limit transmission of the virus resulted in extended periods of physical and social isolation, preventing access to many forms of support, and leaving co-parents excluded from attending antenatal appointments or visiting mothers during postpartum hospital admissions [28,32,34,37].…”