Adaptation of the postpartum support questionnaire for mothers with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to determine the dimensionality of the Postpartum Support Questionnaire adapted for mothers with multiple sclerosis through factor-analytic techniques and to provide construct validity for the factored dimensions. One hundred and seventy-four mothers with multiple sclerosis comprised the sample. Using a priori criteria, a threefactor structure, resulting from principal components analysis with an orthogonal rotation consisting of 24 of the 28 items, was found to best represent the dimensionality of the instrument. The three support factors-emotional, instrumental, and informational-showed acceptable coefficient alpha reliabilities at the 1-, 3-, and 6-month administrations. Evidence of construct validity was shown in that, as hypothesized, (a) mothers with comparatively lower emotional distress reported higher levels of emotional and instrumental support, and (b) mothers with one child reported receiving more informational support during the 6-month postpartum period than did mothers with more than one child. The results support the use of the 24-item Postpartum Support Questionnaire in assessing the adequacy of these specific dimensions of social support needed by mothers with multiple sclerosis during the postpartum period. ß

Parenting with a physical disability: A scoping review of assessment methods

“…All instruments with at least one reported psychometric property were classified by assessment type in Table 2. Thirteen studies used six instruments ( Baby Care Assessment , ADL Profile adapted for use with parents , Concern for Children Scale , Parental Disability Index , Postpartum Support Questionnaire , Pregnancy and Motherhood Evaluation Questionnaire ) that were specifically validated for parents with a PD (Kirshbaum, 2013; Major et al, 2018; Panuccio et al, 2020) or a specific sub‐group of parents with a PD, which were either mothers with multiple sclerosis (Farber et al, 2015; Gulick, 2003; Harrison & Stuifbergen, 2002) or mothers with rheumatoid arthritis (Katz et al, 2003; Poole et al, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014; Smeele et al, 2020; Zelkowitz et al, 2013). Overall, the dimensions of parenting practices, experience, and responsibility were assessed and are further described below.…”

“…Content validity: Relevance of items supported by 2 maternal nursing experts and a focus group of new mothers b (Gulick, 2003)…”

“…Criterion validity: Convergent validity : 0.42–0.48 w/ the Personal Resource Questionnaire 85 (PRQ‐85) (Gulick, 2003)…”

Women's Issues in Multiple Sclerosis

“…Women with MS may be advised to take several adaptations and precautions in the postpartum period, including sleep management (assistance from others with feeding pumped milk to the newborn during scheduled naps and night shifts), help with housework if available, and physical therapy (including pelvic floor) if required. Additionally, given the increased risk of depression at any time point in individuals with MS [148][149][150][151][152] relative to the general population, it is possible mothers with MS experience rates of postpartum depression that are above the baseline 13 to 19% prevalence in all women during the first 6 months after delivery. 153 Screening of the mother and possible antidepressant therapy are encouraged.…”

Postpartum Emotional Distress in Mothers With Multiple Sclerosis

“…Conceptualized within House's (1981) theory of social support, the 34-item PSQ consists of four dimensions: emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal relevant to self-evaluation. A slightly modified version of the PSQ consisting of 28 items and factored into three dimensions (emotional, instrumental, informational;Gulick, 2003) was used in the current study. We revised the 34-to 28-item scale to eliminate 6 items pertaining to the intrapartal period that were deemed irrelevant to the current study.…”