The reliability and validity of the Polish version of the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form: translation and psychometric assessment.
BACKGROUND
The majority of women discontinue breastfeeding before the recommended 6 months postpartum. If health professionals are to improve low breastfeeding duration and exclusivity rates, they need to reliably assess high-risk women and identify predisposing factors that are amenable to intervention. One possible modifiable variable is breastfeeding confidence. The Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale Short Form (BSES-SF) is a 14-item measure designed to assess a mother's confidence in her ability to breastfeed her baby.


OBJECTIVE
To translate the BSES-SF into Polish and assess its psychometric properties among breastfeeding mothers.


METHODS
Methodological study.


METHODS
Five hospitals in Lodz Poland.


METHODS
Using convenience sampling, 105 in-hospital breastfeeding mothers were recruited.


METHODS
Following back-translation procedures, mothers completed questionnaires in-hospital and at 8 and 16 weeks postpartum.


RESULTS
The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency was 0.89. In-hospital BSES-SF scores significantly predicted breastfeeding duration and exclusivity at 8 and 16 weeks postpartum. Demographic response patterns suggested the BSES-SF is a unique tool to identify breastfeeding mothers at risk of prematurely discontinuing.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides evidence that the translated version of the BSES-SF may be a valid and reliable measure of breastfeeding self-efficacy among a sample of mothers in Lodz Poland.
Wutke
Karolina
K
Institute of Psychology, University of Lodz, Poland.
Dennis
Cindy-Lee
CL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D011044:Poland; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020377:Self Efficacy; D014175:Translating