The Turkish version of perceived support and control in birth scale

Abstract

Objective: This is a methodological study carried out to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Support and Control in Birth Scale (SCIB).

Methods: This study included 339 post-partum women. The validity of the Turkish version of the scale was assessed in terms of content and construct validity. Reliability was evaluated using the internal consistency coefficient, the test–retest correlation coefficient and the item correlation between the subscales.

Results: The internal consistency coefficient of the scale was 0.84 (p < 0.01). There were significant correlations between sub-scales (rho = 0.122, 0.129, 0.263, p < 0.05), and the test–retest correlation coefficient of the scale was also significant (rho = 0.86, α = 0.000). As in the original scale, a three-factor structure was examined, which explained 42.85% of the total variance. The model was verified by a confirmatory factor analysis.

Conclusion: The Turkish version of the SCIB is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the perceived support and control during birth among Turkish women.

• Childbirth
• perinatal mental health
• post-partum
• pregnancy
• psychological wellbeing

Declaration of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Current knowledge on the subject

• Women’s satisfaction with birth is very important for both their own and their babies’ health.

• Dissatisfaction with birth may impair women’s psychological health, which in turn may prevent women from adopting their motherhood roles and taking care of their babies.

• Two factors have been shown to influence this satisfaction, i.e. being able to receive support and having control over the body during birth.

What this study adds

• The Turkish version of the SCIB is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluation of the perceived support and perceived control in birth in those women having experienced the process of birth.

• The Turkish version of the SCIB revealed that the items were loaded on three factors as in the original scale, but that five items loaded on external control in the original scale were loaded on support in the Turkish version.