This study developed and validated the Berke Prenatal Anxiety Questionnaire, created to measure prenatal anxiety. Scores from 301 pregnant women in various stages of pregnancy were used to determine the internal consistency of the Berke Prenatal Anxiety Questionnaire. These women were recruited in obstetric offices and hospitals across California. Coefficient alpha for the total scale was.87. Factor analysis showed that the items did not really cluster together in three groups as expected. Two approaches were undertaken to develop a new definition, in order to revise the scale. Three one-way ANOVA with trimester of pregnancy as the between subjects variable were calculated on the total scale and revised scales scores from the questionnaire and no significant differences were found. This questionnaire needs additional validation though the creation of new items characterizing the revised definitions. Eventually, in a revised form, this questionnaire can be used in additional research and in a clinical setting to identify pregnant women experiencing high levels of maladaptive prenatal anxiety. Efforts could then be made to reduce their anxiety, which can benefit both the mother and her infant.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:pacific.edu/oai:scholarlycommons.pacific.edu:uop_etds-3713 |
| Date | 01 January 1997 |
| Creators | Berke, Shawna S. |
| Publisher | Scholarly Commons |
| Source Sets | University of the Pacific |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations |
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