Parental stress scale in the neonatology unit: Statistical validation for the portuguese population

Abstract

Objective: To translate the Neonatal Unit Parental Stress scale into Portuguese and culturally and linguistically adapt it for Portugal, and to evaluate the psychometric qualities of the Neonatal Unit Parental Stress Assessment Scale - Modified Version (EASPUN-MV). Method: This was a quantitative methodological study to validate the Neonatal Unit Parental Stress Assessment Scale. Parents were selected by non-probabilistic sampling (n = 406 parents). Descriptive statistics, standardized Cronbach's alpha, and confirmatory factor analysis were used to calculate the sensitivity, validity, and reliability of the Neonatology Unit Parental Stress Assessment Scale (indexes of the model's goodness of fit χ2/df, CFI, TLI, RMSEA, P(RMSEA). Results: The empirical indexes of the EASPUN-MV’s factorial model showed acceptable goodness of fit (χ2/df=3.3; CFI=0.8; GFI=0.8; TLI=0.8 and P(RMSEA)=0.07). Conclusion: The Neonatology Unit Parental Stress Assessment Scale - Modified Version is a psychometrically sensitive, valid and reliable instrument that can systematically assess parental stress and facilitate the decision-making of nurses, the follow-up care of parents, and their referral to other healthcare professionals.