The Vietnamese version of the childbirth fear prior to pregnancy scale: A validation study

Abstract

Background: Fear of childbirth affects women's attitudes toward childbirth, birth choices, health outcomes, and relationships with their baby, partner, and family. Although more Vietnamese women postpone or avoid pregnancy, understanding this fear is limited due to a lack of a valid and reliable measurement scale. Aim: This study translated, adapted, and validated the Childbirth Fear Prior to Pregnancy Scale (CFPP) for Vietnamese users. Methods: Multistep methodological research was conducted between August and October 2021. The research had two phases: (1) translation and cultural adaptation, and (2) validation. Validation was conducted on 510 Vietnamese women who participated in a cross-sectional design study and were selected by convenience sampling methods. Face validity, structural validity, convergent validity and internal consistency reliability were tested. Results: The V-CFPP was comprehensible and culturally appropriate to Vietnamese women prior to pregnancy. The V-CFPP is unidimensional. Childbirth Fear Prior to Pregnancy, measured using the V-CFPP, was significantly associated with depression (r = 0.28, p < 0.05), anxiety (r = 0.30, p < 0.05), and stress (r = 0.29, p < 0.05). The V-CFPP has a Cronbach's α coefficient of 0.94. Conclusion: The V-CFPP has satisfactory face, structural, and convergent validity. Its internal consistency reliability is excellent. The V-CFPP is a valid and reliable measurement scale for assessing the fear of childbirth prior to pregnancy among Vietnamese women, both nationally and internationally.