The Worry Behaviors Inventory–Perinatal Revised: Adaptation and Initial Validation for Use in Perinatal Samples

Abstract

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a leading mental health concern during pregnancy and the postpartum (perinatal) period. People with GAD engage in problematic behaviors to manage their distress. However, the extent of GAD behaviors during the perinatal period may not be adequately captured by the Worry Behaviors Inventory (WBI), the most comprehensive measure of GAD behaviors to date. We evaluated the structure of the initial WBI item-pool and then evaluated the internal consistency, construct validity, and predictive utility of the Perinatal Revised WBI (WBI-PR) in a sample of 214 perinatal women with and without GAD. A two-factor, 10-item scale was supported, and some of the retained items differed from the original WBI. Internal consistency of the WBI-PR was acceptable, and evidence of construct validity was demonstrated. The WBI-PR predicted GAD diagnostic status both alone and beyond existing generalized anxiety and depression symptoms. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Actualising the psychologist role in an academic health sciences centre: Reflections on the journey.

“…In related work, led by our graduate student Briar Inness, we found that worry behaviours associated with GAD in the perinatal period are also thematically differentiated from those in a nonperinatal sample (Inness et al, 2022). These findings formed the basis for adapting a measure to specifically assess perinatal worry behaviours: The Worry Behaviors Inventory—Perinatal Revised (Inness et al, 2024).…”