The factor structure of the pregnancy anxiety scale. |
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Authors: | J S Levin |
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Institution: | Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk 23501. |
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Abstract: | This paper presents a measurement model of a ten-item scale of maternal anxiety during pregnancy. Using confirmatory factor analysis, its reliability and validity are examined in a hospital sample of mothers (N = 266) surveyed postpartum in Galveston, Texas. According to several indices of overall fit as well as individual parameter estimates, a latent internal structure of three interrelated dimensions is confirmed for the scale items. These first-order constructs are anxiety about being pregnant, childbirth, and hospitalization. This model exhibits a considerably better fit than both a no-factors model and a model in which the dimensions are uncorrelated. Finally, several exogenous constructs expected to be associated with pregnancy anxiety--age, marital status, and worry over health--exert significant effects on dimensions of the model or on a second-order factor. |
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