Evaluation of Factor Structure and Validation of Electronic form of CAQ Fear of Delivery Questionnaire in Pregnant Women

Validation of the Maternity Fear Scale can help identify women with high fears of pregnancy. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the factor structure and validation of the electronic form of the CAQ fear of childbirth questionnaire in pregnant women.

This study is a psychometric tool that the statistical population included all pregnant women in Jiroft. The number of samples was determined based on psychometric criteria of 100 people for the predictive narrative section and 251 people for the convergence narrative section. The samples were selected by cluster sampling. The research information was collected electronically through two questionnaires of childbirth fear (CAQ) and fear of postpartum delivery by sending a questionnaire link to the participants' mobile phones. Content validation methods, convergence and factor analysis were used to evaluate the validity of the scale. The reliability of the scale was assessed by internal consistency and purity reliability methods.

The results of exploratory factor analysis showed that the researcher-made questionnaire consists of three factors and has good validity and reliability. The second-order confirmatory factor analysis also confirmed the three-factor model. The questionnaire was implemented along with a short form of CAQ fear of childbirth, which had a good reliability and validity with 13 items.

A researcher-made questionnaire on the prevalence of CAQ scares in pregnant women can be used to assess the fear of childbirth in pregnant women.