The Turkish Adaptation of the COVID‑19 Perinatal Perception Questionnaire: Validity and Reliability Study

Abstract

Objective: Women during the perinatal period are more vulnerable to environmental stressors. However, there is no Turkish scale that evaluates the perinatal perception of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) pandemic-related stressors. This methodological study aimed to adapt the COVID‑19 Perinatal Perception Questionnaire (COVID-19-PPQ) to Turkish. Methods: The sample consisted of 150 pregnant women and 150 postpartum women in Turkey. Data were collected using an individual information form, pregnancy scale and postpartum scale of the COVID-19-PPQ, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV- 19S), and the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). Validity was assessed with language, content, and construct validity. Cronbach’s alpha, equivalent-form reliability, and item analysis were used for reliability. Results: The pregnancy scale fits well with eight items, while the postpartum scale fits well with ten items. Each scale has a three-factor structure. Moreover, the scales have acceptable fit index values, confirming the model. The pregnancy scale has a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.85, while the subscales “risk of infection,” “contact,” and “future” have Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.74, 0.65, and 0.87, respectively. The postpartum scale has a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.81, while the subscales “first postpartum week,” “COVID-19 measures,” and “fear for infection” have Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.84, 0.84, and 0.90, respectively. Significant correlations between the pregnancy scale, the FCV-19S (r=0.459, p<0.001), the postpartum scale and the EPDS (r=0.166, p=0.042) scores indicate that the scale is reliable. Conclusion: The Turkish version of the COVID-19-PPQ is valid and reliable for Turkish pregnant and postpartum women.

Keywords

• covid‑19 perinatal perception questionnaire
• factor analysis
• validity
• pandemic
• reliability
• scale