Psychometric Evaluation of the Japanese Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire Version B

Abstract

The Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) is a widely accepted approach to measuring fear of childbirth and is available in two versions: antenatal (version A) and postnatal (version B). The aim of this study was to develop the Japanese W-DEQ version B and confirm its validity and reliability among Japanese women. A self-administered questionnaire in-corporating the translated Japanese W-DEQ (JW-DEQ) version B and the an-xiety subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was dis-tributed to Japanese mothers at two days postpartum. Of the 246 women re-cruited, 231 who completed the questionnaire at two days postpartum were analyzed. An exploratory factor analysis of the JW-DEQ version B revealed four factors: fear, lack of positive anticipation, isolation and riskiness. The JW-DEQ version B exhibited a positive correlation with the HADS anxiety subscale (r = 0.34, p < 0.001). The Cronbach's α value derived from the total 33 items was 0.95. This study provides evidence of the factorial, concurrent validity and the internal consistency of the JW-DEQ version B. However, a further study involving participants from different demographic groups will be required.