Psychometric properties of the parental stressor scale: infant hospitalization.
OBJECTIVE
This article reports the development and psychometric properties of the Parental Stressor Scale: Infant Hospitalization (PSS:IH), an instrument designed to measure parents' perceptions of stress associated with having their infant admitted to the hospital.


METHODS
Eighty-one mothers and 43 fathers of medically fragile, hospitalized infants.Design and methods Psychometric study of the PSS:IH, an instrument that was adapted from the Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS:NICU) using literature review, parent interviews, and professional experts. Psychometric analysis was conducted from data collected in a longitudinal study of parents of medically fragile infants. Main outcome measure PSS:IH.


RESULTS
Correlation coefficients demonstrate its internal consistency reliability. Construct validity is supported by significant correlations between the PSS:IH scores during hospitalization with maternal distress after discharge.


CONCLUSIONS
The PSS:IH can be used as an outcome assessment instrument for quality assurance and in clinical research. Additional research could evaluate the scale for use in different populations and settings.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D015144:Southeastern United States; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D013997:Time Factors