Citation

Sagrestano LM, Rodriguez AC, Carroll D, Bieniarz A, Greenberg A, Castro L, Nuwayhid B. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Neonatal Nurs. 2002; 31(2): 147-155.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 62901-6502, USA. sagresta@siu.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11926397

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To compare standardized, psychometrically sound measures of psychosocial variables and physical violence with single-item measures currently used for screening purposes in an obstetric clinic. STUDY DESIGN: Two hundred multiethnic women were interviewed during scheduled prenatal visits at an urban perinatal center. Participants previously completed a standard perinatal self-administered inventory, which included several single-item psychosocial questions. Medical and obstetric history, current risk factors, and intrapartum complications were collected from medical records. RESULTS: Correlational analyses indicated that single-item self-report measures were more appropriate for certain types of variables than for others. Specifically, for anxiety, depression, and social support, single-item measures were significantly correlated with standardized, psychometrically sound measures, whereas this was not true for stress and domestic violence. CONCLUSION: It may be appropriate to rely on self-reported single-item measures to detect some psychosocial risk factors in clinical settings for the purposes of referral. When assessing for domestic violence, single-item measures may not be adequate, as personal interviews using a standardized, psychometrically sound measure resulted in higher rates of reporting.

Language: en