Development and Psychometric Testing of the Maternal Nipple Shield Satisfaction Scale

Abstract

Background and PurposeNipple shield use is common among breastfeeding mothers, yet no instrument measures maternal satisfaction. The new Maternal Nipple Shield Satisfaction Scale (MNSSS) was evaluated for reliability and validity.MethodsThe MNSSS for was tested in two phases: women (N = 128) using nipple shields in the previous 6 months and the second, women, (N = 57) within the first 3 weeks postpartum.ResultsFrom the original 21-item scale, content validity analysis, Cronbach's alpha, item to total correlation testing, exploratory factor analysis resulted in a one factor scale consisting of nine items with a Cronbach's alpha of .90. Convergent validity testing resulted in a small, but significant negative correlation.ConclusionThe MNSSS may be a useful instrument for examining satisfaction of women using nipple shields for breastfeeding.