The Persian version of Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF): translation and psychometric assessment

Objective (s): Only a minority of infants is breastfed for the recommended 6 months post partum. One possible modifiable variable is breastfeeding confidence. The Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF) is a 14-item measure designed to assess a mother’s confidence in her ability to breastfeed her baby. The study aimed to translate the BSES-SF into Persian and assess its psychometric properties among pregnant women. This was a cross-sectional study carried out in Ahvaz, Iran, 2014. A random sample of 220 low-risk pregnant women referring to private and public health centers was recruited. The BSES-SF was translated into Persian using forwardbackward translation and pilot tested. A series of self-reported questionnaires was administered on the third trimester of pregnancy including: a questionnaire on socio-demographic variables and breastfeeding intention status, the translated BSESSF, the Persian adaptation of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and the Persian adaptation of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 16. The mean age of participants was 23.95 ± 4.7 years. The findings of content and face validity showed almost perfect results (CVR = 1 and CVI = 1). The translated BSES-SF presented a one-dimensional structure with factor loadings of >0.40. Convergent and divergent validity showed statistically significance correlation with the GSEE and the PSS, respectively (p <0.05). Internal consistency as measured by the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was found to be 0.91. The results indicated that the Persian version of BSES-SF is a valid and reliable measure of maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy in Iran.