Paper
Saturday, July 24, 2004
Psychometric Testing of the Perception of Pregnancy Risk Questionnaire
Maureen I. Heaman, RN, PhD, Faculty of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| Learning Objective #1: Describe the reliability and validity of a new instrument, the Perception of Pregnancy Risk Questionnaire |
| Learning Objective #2: Discuss the potential uses of this new questionnaire in future research |
Objective: To test the reliability and validity of a new instrument, the Perception of Pregnancy Risk Questionnaire (PPRQ). Design: Methodological study. Sample, Setting, Years: Participants included women who were hospitalized for complications in the third trimester of their pregnancy in a tertiary care hospital in a central Canadian city (n=100), and a comparison group of women with an uncomplicated pregnancy receiving prenatal care in the outpatient department (n=99). Data were collected between October 2002 and July 2003. Concepts studied: The PPRQ, consisting of a series of 11 visual analogue scales, was used to measure self-assessed risk during pregnancy. Spielberger state anxiety inventory (STAI) was used to measure anxiety. Methods: Participants completed the PPRQ, STAI and a demographic data form; then completed the PPRQ again seven days later. Findings: Women who were hospitalized with a complication of pregnancy had a significantly higher perception of pregnancy risk score (Mean 465.6, SD 207.1) than women with an uncomplicated pregnancy (M 268.7, SD 163.5), providing evidence of construct validity using the known-groups technique. A high rating of pregnancy risk was related to a high state anxiety level (Pearson r = 0.470, p<0.001), providing evidence of criterion-related validity. Factor analysis confirmed two factors. The PPRQ had high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha 0.90). The instrument also demonstrated acceptable test-retest reliability (r = 0.88, p = 0.01), indicating that a women’s assessment of her pregnancy risk remains stable over the course of a week. Conclusion: The PPRQ is a valid and reliable measure of women’s self-perceived risk during pregnancy. Implications: Women’s perceptions of their pregnancy risk may differ from that of their health care providers, and may influence their health behaviors during pregnancy. This new measure of self-perceived risk will be useful for future research exploring this concept.
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