Measuring posttraumatic stress disorder following childbirth

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to assess the reliability and construct validity of the City Birth Trauma Scale (BiTS) in Oceania and confirm the latent factor structure of postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Methods: Participants completed the City BiTS, demographic and obstetric information via an online survey. Psychometric properties of the City BiTS were investigated using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA).

Results: The study included 195 women, with 39 participating in repeat administration. CFA confirmed a two-factor model which included a birth-related symptom (BRS) subscale and general symptom (GS) subscale. High reliability and construct validity was observed for subscales and total score at baseline and follow-up.

Conclusion: The City BiTS represents a potentially useful tool to assist with screening for postpartum PTSD.

Keywords: postpartum; posttraumatic stress disorder; scale; trauma.