Construction and validation of a scale of self-efficacy in pregnant women for the prevention of hypertensive syndromes in pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: to construct and validate the Scale of Self-efficacy in Pregnant Women for the Prevention of Complications resulting from Hypertensive Syndromes in Pregnancy. Method: a methodological study with a quantitative approach, developed between April 2018 and May 2019 in a public university from the Brazilian South region. The theoretical, experimental and analytical procedures were performed. Content validation was conducted in two stages with evaluators, and semantic validation was performed with pregnant women. The statistical tests used were that of the Content Validity Index and Cronbach’s alpha. Results: the scale consists in 17 items distributed into seven domains: Drug treatment, Prenatal care, Intervention based on common sense, Understanding of the recommendations with support from the family, Lifestyle, Dietary intervention, and Self-care. The domains’ internal consistency assessed by means of Cronbach’s alpha varied from 0.527 to 0.597. Conclusion: the scale presented acceptable psychometric properties and can improve the systematization of the care provided to pregnant women with a hypertension diagnosis.