How to use first-time father questionnaire (FTFQ) - fathers experiences of childbirth

• Background: The quality of first-time fathers’ participation during childbirth is important not only for his birth-giving partner but also for the father himself, his relationship with the mother and the newborn. No validated questionnaire assessing first-time fathers’ experiences during childbirth was available. The aim of this study was to develop and validate an instrument to assess first-time fathers’ experiences of childbirth (FTFQ). The study was approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board in Gothenburg and was conducted in accordance with ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki [27] Method: The questionnaire was constructed with items derived from interviews with first-time fathers, and a questionnaire, completed by 200 first-time fathers (response rate=81 %), was tested and validated. An exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis with varimax rotation was performed and multitrait scaling analysis was used to test scaling assumptions. The external validity was assessed by means of known-groups analysis. Results: Factor analysis yielded four factors comprising 22 items and accounting 48 % of the variance. The domains found were Worry, Information, Emotional support and Acceptance. Multitrait-scaling analysis confirmed the convergent and discriminant validity of the domains; however, Cronbach’s alpha did not meet conventional reliability standards in two domains. The questionnaire was sensitive to differences between groups of fathers hypothesized to differ on important socio demographic or clinical variables Conclusions: The questionnaire adequately measures important dimensions of first-time fathers’ childbirth experiences’ and may be used to assess aspects of fathers’ experience during childbirth. Implications: At the seminar the main focus will be an instruction on how to use the First-Time Father Questionnaire. Key words: Fathers, childbirth, questionnaire, factor analysis

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Annan medicin och hälsovetenskap -- Övrig annan medicin och hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Other Medical and Health Sciences -- Other Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Fathers

childbirth

questionnaire

factor analysis

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)