Systematic Review of the Content Validity of Patient Reported Outcome Measures of Transition to Parenthood

Abstract

This review aims to identify self-report instruments examining aspects of transition to parenthood for use in practice and research. After performing a literature search in Embase, Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane, PsycINFO and Google Scholar, the Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) measuring (aspects of) transition to parenthood during pregnancy or up to 1-year postpartum were identified. Following COSMIN guidelines for systematic reviews on PROMs, the quality of the PROM development and PROM content validity was evaluated. From the 129 included studies, 39 PROMs assessed aspects of transition to parenthood. A total of 32 PROMs were included in the evaluation. The development quality of 30/32 PROMS was mostly rated as inadequate and the quality of 15 content validity studies was mostly rated as doubtful. All PROMs received inadequate or doubtful ratings on content validity. Most of the PROMs measuring aspects of the transition to parenthood didn’t include parents’ points of view when developing them. Many PROMs are being used for a long time without reassessing relevance, comprehensiveness, and comprehensibility among parents and/or practitioners. It is recommended that researchers and healthcare professionals assess content validity of the PROM before use with the target population.

The midwife's support during transition to motherhood: A modified Delphi study among care providers and childbearing women

“…This, in turn, can inform evidence‐based decision making [43]. Including both service users and providers contributes to the validity of the findings [45]. Further research is needed to explore the feasibility and performance of the midwife's transitional support domains in everyday practice.…”

Transition to Motherhood: Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Support from Partner, Family and Friends

“…Becoming a mother is a major developmental milestone, in which expectations, memories, and wishes about motherhood are considered (McCarthy et al, 2021 ; Prinds et al, 2014 ). The complex identity changes a woman has to go through to become a mother makes it a challenging transitional period (Beeck et al, 2022 ; Laney et al, 2015 ). The theory of the transition to parenthood by Stern ( 1995 , 2004 ) proposes that when a woman becomes a mother she creates a ‘motherhood constellation’, a new identity regarding the baby and herself as well as expectations, anxieties, and goals regarding this role.…”