Title : A validation study of the mothers’ concern questionnaire (kaitz, 2007) for the Portuguese population
Abstract:
Introduction: The postpartum period is a key moment in the delivery of care to the women/couple and family. Therefore, maternal concerns during the period of transition to parenthood can have a differential impact on the adaptation to the new parenting role.
Objective: To validate the Portuguese version of the Mothers' Concern Questionnaire (Kaitz, 2007) in primiparous mothers.
Methods: The questionnaire was validated in four steps: translation, back-translation, comparison of both versions, and evidence on the validity of the new version. The MoCQ is a self-administered paper-and-pencil questionnaire on the mothers’ perception of their concerns in the postpartum period. It consists of a Likert scale composed of 41 items with five dimensions: Family Health/Return to work/Mother’s Well-Being/Social support network/Infant Care/Marital relationship. The sample is composed of 161 primiparous mothers (nonprobability sample, with the following inclusion criteria: vaginal delivery, full-term healthy newborn, only child, low-risk pregnancy, cohabiting with partner). The overall psychometric properties of the instrument were analyzed.
Results: The findings show that the Portuguese version of the MoCQ is a valid, reliable, and very adequate instrument for assessing the mothers’ concerns during the postpartum period. The psychometric characteristics of the Portuguese version are similar to those originally reported by Kaitz (2007). The reliability of the results is reflected in high levels of internal consistency and very good time stability between the first and the second application.
Conclusion: The results on the validation study of the Portuguese version of the MoCQ, which assesses the mothers’ concerns in the postpartum period, show that it is an important instrument for clinical practice in the area of maternal health.
Our study demonstrates that the questionnaire can be a useful tool for identifying Portuguese mothers’ concerns. The authors believe that its value will be reinforced in future studies and contribute to improve nursing practice and the delivery of high-quality nursing care. Therefore, further studies should be developed in Portugal on the application of this questionnaire to assess the mothers’ concerns and their results should be disseminated to health professionals with the purpose of informing the joint definition of strategies to strengthen the mother’s skills for an effective transition into the parenting role.
