The development of an anxiety assessment scale for pregnant women in labor

OBJECTIVES: To develop a valid and reliable measurement tool to determine the anxiety level of pregnant women in labor. METHODS: This study is a methodological research for developing an Anxiety Assessment Scale for Pregnant Women in Labor (AASPWL) and descriptive research for determining the anxiety level of pregnant women in labor. This study included a total of 269 pregnant women from the delivery room of a training and research hospital between November 2016 and July 2017. The study consists of 2 stages: the first stage includes scale content, construct validity, and reliability; the second stage involves examination of the relationship and effects by establishing a model with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). RESULTS: Construct validity was established using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Cronbach’s alpha value was calculated to be 0.77 for the reliability of the developed AASPWL. CONCLUSION: The AASPWL is a reliable and valid scale that can be used to assess the anxiety level of women in labor.