Validation of perinatal post-traumatic stress disorder questionnaire for Spanish women during the postpartum period

Abstract

To determine the psychometric properties of the Perinatal Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Questionnaire (PPQ) in Spanish. A cross-sectional study of 432 Spanish puerperal women was conducted, following ethical approval. The PPQ was administered online through midwives' associations across Spain. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to diagnose postnatal depression for examining criterion validity. Data were collected on sociodemographic, obstetric, and neonatal variables. An exploratory factorial analysis (EFA) was performed with convergence and criterion validation. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's α. The EFA identified three components that explained 63.3% of variance. The PPQ's convergence validation associated the risk of PTSD with variables including birth plan, type of birth, hospital length of stay, hospital readmission, admission of the newborn to care unit, skin-to-skin contact, maternal feeding at discharge, maternal perception of partner support, and respect shown by healthcare professionals during childbirth and puerperium. The area under the ROC curve for the risk of postnatal depression (criterion validity) was 0.86 (95% CI 0.82–0.91). Internal consistency with Cronbach's α value was 0.896. The PPQ used when screening for PTSD in postpartum Spanish women showed adequate psychometric properties.