TITLE:
Psychometric Properties among Japanese Women Based on the Multidimensional Assessment of Women’s Experience of Childbirth
AUTHORS:
Megumi Sato
KEYWORDS:
Childbirth Experience, Factor Structure, Validity, Multidimensional Assessment, Japanese Women
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.13 No.11,
November
16,
2023
ABSTRACT:
Aims/Background: Perceived experiences of childbirth are important
for mothers as they affect their
self-esteem, mother-child interactions, subsequent mother-child bonding, and
their desire for another child. This study examined the factor structure and
construct validity of Salmon and Drew’s Multidimensional Assessment of Women’s
Experience of Childbirth (MAWEC) in Japanese. Design/Methods: This study conducted a questionnaire survey using the Japanese version of the
MAWEC and other variables with 759 women with
infants in Japan. The participants’ mean (standard deviation [SD], range) age was 31.9 (5.3, 18 - 46) years. A total of 353 (46.5%) participants were
primiparous and 384 (50.6%) were multiparous, and 22 (2.9%) did not answer. The
data were randomly divided into two groups for exploratory factor analysis
(EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and separately analyzed the
positive- and negative-worded items. I conducted EFA using the
maximum-likelihood method with PROMAX rotation from one-through two- and
three-factor structures. Different factor structure models were compared in
terms of CFAs using, as indicator of goodness-of-fit, chi-square/df, comparative
fit index (CFI), and root mean square of error approximation (RMSEA). Results: This study showed that a bifactor model for the MAWEC with four subscales
(positive emotion, positive coping, negative emotion, and negative coping) fit
the data the best. These four subscales were associated with demographic,
obstetric, neonatal, and feeding characteristics. For example, primiparas were
more vulnerable to coping aspects of perceived childbirth experiences,
including sense of mastery over the delivery process and ability to enjoy the
delivery. Gestational age at birth was associated with emotional aspects of
perceived childbirth experiences. Conclusion: The Japanese version of
the MAWEC consists of four aspects regarding perceived childbirth experience.
Perinatal health professionals may examine women’s childbirth experiences from
these four perspectives.