The birth beliefs scale – a new measure to assess basic beliefs about birth
Introduction: Basic beliefs about birth as a natural and safe or a medical and risky process are central in the decisions on where and how to birth. Despite their importance, they have not been studied separately from other childbirth-related constructs. Our aim was to develop a measure to assess th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2017-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0167482X.2016.1244180 |
| _version_ | 1797685880279793664 |
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| author | Heidi Preis Yael Benyamini |
| author_facet | Heidi Preis Yael Benyamini |
| author_sort | Heidi Preis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Basic beliefs about birth as a natural and safe or a medical and risky process are central in the decisions on where and how to birth. Despite their importance, they have not been studied separately from other childbirth-related constructs. Our aim was to develop a measure to assess these beliefs. Method: Pregnant Israeli women (N = 850, gestational week ≥14) were recruited in women’s health centers, in online natural birth forums, and through home midwives. Participants filled in questionnaires including sociodemographic and obstetric background, the Birth Beliefs Scale (BBS), dispositional desire for control (DC) and planned mode of delivery. Results: Factor analyses revealed that the BBS is composed of two factors: beliefs about birth as a natural process and beliefs about birth as a medical process. Both subscales showed good internal and test–retest reliability. They had good construct validity, predicted birth choices, and were weakly correlated with DC. Women’s medical obstetric history was associated with the BBS, further supporting the validity of the scale. Discussion: Beliefs about birth may be the building blocks that make up perceptions of birth and drive women’s preferences. The new scale provides an easy way to distinctly assess them so they can be used to further understand planned birth behaviors. Additional studies are needed to comprehend how these beliefs form in different cultural contexts and how they evolve over time. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T00:57:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f3f666e0ff29431288fc62aa1cb4cf1e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0167-482X 1743-8942 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T00:57:41Z |
| publishDate | 2017-01-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology |
| spelling | doaj.art-f3f666e0ff29431288fc62aa1cb4cf1e2023-09-14T12:43:59ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology0167-482X1743-89422017-01-01381738010.1080/0167482X.2016.12441801244180The birth beliefs scale – a new measure to assess basic beliefs about birthHeidi Preis0Yael Benyamini1Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv UniversityIntroduction: Basic beliefs about birth as a natural and safe or a medical and risky process are central in the decisions on where and how to birth. Despite their importance, they have not been studied separately from other childbirth-related constructs. Our aim was to develop a measure to assess these beliefs. Method: Pregnant Israeli women (N = 850, gestational week ≥14) were recruited in women’s health centers, in online natural birth forums, and through home midwives. Participants filled in questionnaires including sociodemographic and obstetric background, the Birth Beliefs Scale (BBS), dispositional desire for control (DC) and planned mode of delivery. Results: Factor analyses revealed that the BBS is composed of two factors: beliefs about birth as a natural process and beliefs about birth as a medical process. Both subscales showed good internal and test–retest reliability. They had good construct validity, predicted birth choices, and were weakly correlated with DC. Women’s medical obstetric history was associated with the BBS, further supporting the validity of the scale. Discussion: Beliefs about birth may be the building blocks that make up perceptions of birth and drive women’s preferences. The new scale provides an easy way to distinctly assess them so they can be used to further understand planned birth behaviors. Additional studies are needed to comprehend how these beliefs form in different cultural contexts and how they evolve over time.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0167482X.2016.1244180beliefs about birthbirth choicesmeasurementmode of deliveryobstetric technology |
| spellingShingle | Heidi Preis Yael Benyamini The birth beliefs scale – a new measure to assess basic beliefs about birth Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology beliefs about birth birth choices measurement mode of delivery obstetric technology |
| title | The birth beliefs scale – a new measure to assess basic beliefs about birth |
| title_full | The birth beliefs scale – a new measure to assess basic beliefs about birth |
| title_fullStr | The birth beliefs scale – a new measure to assess basic beliefs about birth |
| title_full_unstemmed | The birth beliefs scale – a new measure to assess basic beliefs about birth |
| title_short | The birth beliefs scale – a new measure to assess basic beliefs about birth |
| title_sort | birth beliefs scale a new measure to assess basic beliefs about birth |
| topic | beliefs about birth birth choices measurement mode of delivery obstetric technology |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0167482X.2016.1244180 |
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