Psychometric characteristics of the spiritual perspective scale in pregnant African-American women

Abstract

In health disparities research, studying the vulnerabilities of African Americans should be balanced by research on resources and strengths that influence health. One resource is spirituality, yet few tools have been developed and tested in diverse populations. This study evaluated the psychometric characteristics of the Spiritual Perspective Scale (SPS) in 102 pregnant African American women. Internal consistency reliability was high and evidence of construct validity was provided. The SPS correlated as hypothesized with church attendance, religiosity, and self-reported spirituality. In addition, the SPS correlated negatively with depression, anxiety, and stress. Factor analysis revealed a two-factor solution. The SPS performed well suggesting that it is an appropriate tool to use as a measure of spirituality in pregnant African American women. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.