Perceived control and maternal satisfaction with childbirth: a measure development study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate two instruments: one to assess patient perceptions of control of the childbirth environment and the other, global satisfaction with the childbirth experience. Participants were 187 women recruited from obstetric clinics, breast-feeding support groups and online who had given birth in the past 4 months. Scale development involved item construction, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the Perceived Control in Childbirth Scale (PCCh), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the Satisfaction with Childbirth Scale (SWCh), reliability analysis and construct validity analyses. EFA identified a single factor underlying a set of items reflecting the patient's belief that her actions influenced the birth environment (i.e. perceived control). CFAs supported a single-factor model reflecting the degree to which the birth experience met the patient's ideal (i.e. satisfaction). Perceived control was associated with childbirth self-efficacy. Childbirth satisfaction was associated with both affective reactions to birth and childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Results support the validity and reliability of two new scales that assess perceived control of the birth environment and global satisfaction with childbirth.

The Effects of Intrapartum Supportive Care on Fear of Delivery and Labor Outcomes: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Stevens, Wallston, and Hamilton (2012) found that intrapartum supportive care enhances perceived control. Consistent with those findings, this study revealed that intrapartum supportive care improves perceived internal and external control during birth.…”

“…Consistent with those findings, this study revealed that intrapartum supportive care improves perceived internal and external control during birth. Perceived control during birth involves coping with pain, exhibiting the behavior expected of the self-birth, making decisions, accessing medical information, self-competency, and emotional status (Elmir, Schmied, Wilkes, & Jackson, 2010;Goodall, McVittie, & Magill, 2009;Stevens et al, 2012). Perceived control during childbirth has been associated with emotions felt during the birth process (Elmir et al, 2010).…”

Snoezelen Room and Childbirth Outcome: A Randomized Clinical Trial

“…Currently, the complementary therapy is used to release the tension and relax the muscles of pregnant women with intense pain. Interventions to relieve sever pain often includes immersion in water (7), acupuncture and acupressure (8), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) (9), breathing techniques, yoga (10), hypnosis (11), physical and emotional support for coping with pain (12, 13), music therapy (14), listening to Quran, and massage therapy (15). Many researches have been already investigating on these interventions.…”

Good reliability and validity for a new utility instrument measuring the birth experience, the Labor and Delivery Index

“…We hypothesized higher scores on the LADY-X sum score for (1) [28,31,32], (4) no transfer during labor vs. transfer during labor [28,33], (5) control vs. no control over pain medication [28,30], (6) no complications vs. complications at or right after the birth concerning mother [34], (7) no complications vs. complications concerning the child at or right after the birth [34], and (8) experiencing a high vs. a low level of control [28,30]. The level of control was measured by the LAS and dichotomized by a median split.…”