Measurement and structural invariance of the US version of the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) in a large sample

Abstract

The current study strongly supports the use of the US version of the BSS-R to compare birth satisfaction across different groups of women with theoretical and measurement confidence.

Development and validation of the Australian version of the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R)

“…The BSS-R has been validated and translated into Greek (Vardavaki, Hollins Martin, & Martin, 2015) and a United States (Barbosa-Leiker, Fleming, Hollins Martin, & Martin, 2015) version of the tool, with these studies suggesting excellent validity and reliability. The US version of the BSS-R has recently been used in a large-scale US study (Fleming et al, 2016) and a psychometric evaluation of the data from that study corroborated not only the excellent psychometric properties of the US version, but also its measurement robustness when comparing discrete sub-groups within the sample (C. R. Martin et al, 2016a). A comparison of UK and Greek BSS-R datasets has revealed the instrument to be both conceptually and statistically comparable (C.R.…”

“…Higher scores correspond to comparatively higher birth satisfaction across all subscales and the total score. The BSS-R has been found to be psychometrically robust, valid and reliable, with replication of the underlying three-factor measurement model in both English-language (Barbosa-Leiker et al, 2015; Burduli et al, 2017; C. R. Martin et al, 2016a) and translated (C.R. Martin et al, 2016b;Vardavaki et al, 2015) versions.…”

“…'I came through childbirth virtually unscathed' (UK) and 'I came through childbirth virtually unharmed' (US). Barbosa-Leiker et al (2015) and C. R. Martin et al (2016a) highlight the importance of using the most appropriately specified and worded items for the population where the tool is to be used. Though predominantly an English-speaking country, Australia has significant geo-political links and maternity service delivery similarities with the US and historical cultural affiliations with the UK.…”

“…Objective 5 was addressed by a direct comparison of the A-BSS-R dataset and its tridimensional model specification with the original UK BSS-R dataset, again specified within the same tri-dimensional model. The procedure to determine measurement invariance requires the application of increasingly restrictive versions of the underlying model (Brown, 2015;C. R. Martin et al, 2016a).…”

“…Defining birth satisfaction represents a challenge since it represents a subjective appraisal of maternity care provision influenced by the woman's attitudes and beliefs and encapsulated within a context of uniquely individualised experience (Gibbens & Thomson, 2001; C.J. Hollins Martin & Fleming, 2011; C. R. Martin et al, 2016a;Sawyer et al, 2013).…”