Abstract
Fear of childbirth (FOC) is an important women’s health issue. The Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) is currently the most frequently used instrument to measure FOC. The scale is designed to measure different aspects of FOC but is conceptualized as a uni-dimensional instrument. Our aim was to investigate the underlying factor structure of the W-DEQ version A. A total of 1642 women scheduled to give birth at Akershus University Hospital (Norway) during 2009 and 2010 completed the W-DEQ in the third trimester. Validity and reliability were estimated by means of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and correlations with other relevant variables. Results confirmed a multidimensional structure of the W-DEQ. Six factors were identified, each measuring different domains: ‘Fear’, ‘Negative appraisal’, ‘Loneliness’, ‘Lack of self-efficacy’, ‘Lack of positive anticipation’, and ‘Concerns for the child’. The final model resulted in a 25-item version of the instrument with adequate psychometric properties. Subfactors correlated differently with several relevant variables. Especially the factor ‘Fear’ was highly correlated with both the overall W-DEQ and several important outcomes. Future studies could examine whether this factor may serve as a good proxy for the full W-DEQ version A.
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Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
Six different subfactors of FOC were identified within the W-DEQ version A.
These factors are correlated but represent conceptually distinct constructs.
The “Fear” factor is the most closely related to general FOC. Future studies could examine whether this factor may serve as a good proxy for the full W-DEQ version A.
Fear of childbirth (FOC) is an important women’s health issue.
The Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) is currently the most frequently used instrument to measure FOC.
W-DEQ is conceptualized as a uni-dimensional instrument.