title: Validation of the multidimensional health locus of control scales for labor and delivery.
abstract: No current instrument assesses women's health locus of control beliefs in relation to childbirth. Form C of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scales was used to develop items for a new instrument specific to labor and delivery (MHLC-LD). Psychometric analyses conducted with two independent samples of pregnant women supported a three-factor model of the new instrument, consisting of Internal, Powerful Others, and Chance subscales. Results revealed modest coefficient alphas (>.70) for the subscales and demonstrated construct validity in known group analyses. Future validation research will focus on improving the internal consistency reliability of the MHLC-LD, testing factorial invariance across demographic groups, and examining the relationships between obstetric risk, previous birth experiences, and beliefs about control over childbirth outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, 1415 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.
authors.forename: Natalie R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Nancy A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Wallston
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000523:psychology*; D010556:Personality Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters / Q000523:psychology; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results