Content validation of a questionnaire measuring basic perinatal depression knowledge

ABSTRACT

Perinatal depression (PND) screening is encouraged in healthcare settings. We aimed to develop and content validate a basic PND knowledge questionnaire for use among pharmacists and potentially other primary healthcare professionals (HCPs). A six-item questionnaire was developed. Twenty-five perinatal mental health experts were invited to participate in content validation by completing the questionnaire and assessing its content validity. A content validity index (CVI) score above 0.8 was indicative of content validity. Expert comments may inform items’ deletion or revision. Between November 2016 and February 2017, ten experts participated. For five out of six items, the CVI score was 0.9 or 1.0. Two experts selected “I think none are correct” for one item regarding the onset of postpartum depression. Comments reflected the lack of consensus in the literature surrounding onset periods and prevalence rates and informed minor modifications to three of six questions and seven of 24 response options. The CVI for the questionnaire was 0.83.Content validation of a questionnaire measuring basic PND knowledge resulted in modifications. Comments about PND onset and prevalence indicated the need for consistency when defining and measuring these constructs. This questionnaire may be used among pharmacists and other HCPs.

KEYWORDS:

• Content validity
• knowledge
• perinatal depression
• questionnaire

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the expertise of the experts who participated in the content validation of the questionnaire and thank them for their time. We would also like to acknowledge the support of the 2016 Endeavour Research Fellowship, which allowed the corresponding author to travel to Canada in 2016 during her PhD. We would like to acknowledge the expertise of the experts who participated in the content validation of the questionnaire and thank them for their time. We would like to acknowledge the support of the 2016 Endeavour Research Fellowship, which allowed the corresponding author to visit Canada in 2016 during her PhD.