Translation and Validation of the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised in Urdu for Use in Pakistan

Abstract

BACKGROUNDSatisfaction with the birth experience is increasingly recognized as critical to the well-being of mother and baby and thus accurate assessment of this key dimension is essential. The Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) has been shown to be a robust, valid, and reliable measure of birth experience. The current study sought to develop an Urdu version of the measure to be used in Pakistan.METHODSFollowing translation, a cross-sectional design was used to examine the measurement properties of the Pakistan (Urdu)-BSS-R (P-BSS-R). Participants were a purposive sample of Pakistani postnatal women (n = 200). Key psychometric properties were examined using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), internal consistency evaluation, and known-groups discriminant validity testing.RESULTSThe majority of measurement parameters for clinical application of the P-BSS-R were found to be acceptable with good known-groups discriminant validity and data fit to the tri-dimensional theoretical model of the BSS-R observed. However, some idiosyncratic observations were highlighted, including unexpected low internal consistency.CONCLUSIONSThe P-BSS-R was found to be a generally valid and reliable measure of the experience, a caveat being low internal consistency warranting further investigation.