Development and Psychometric Validation of a Coping Scale for Pregnant Women with Hyperemesis Gravidarum

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Bal S., Koç E., Keten Edis E.

Journal of Midwifery and Health Sciences, cilt.9, sa.3, ss.213-224, 2026 (Scopus, TRDizin)

Özet

Objective: Research on hyperemesis gravidarum has expanded in recent years; however, validated instruments specifically designed to assess coping strategies in women with hyperemesis gravidarum remain scarce. This study aimed to develop a measurement tool to assess how pregnant women cope with hyperemesis gravidarum. Methods: This methodological study was conducted between July 1, 2022, and April 30, 2023. The study population was comprised of pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinic of a tertiary hospital in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Of 400 eligible participants, 28 were excluded because of incomplete or erroneous questionnaires, resulting in a final sample of 372. Scale development included item generation, expert-based content validation, pilot testing, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and internal consistency assessment. The initial 65-item pool was reduced to 40 items following expert evaluation and pilot testing, and subsequently to 28 items based on EFA. Results: EFA yielded a 28-item, five-factor structure explaining 52.51% of the total variance. The dimensions were Thought and Awareness, Communication, Food and Supplements, Physical Interventions, and Self-Care. Sampling adequacy was supported by a KMO value of 0.862 and a significant Bartlett's test (χ²=3666.127, df=378, p<.001). Factor loadings ranged from 0.502 to 0.820. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.825. CFA supported the five-factor structure (χ²/df=2.348, RMSEA=0.060, SRMR=0.064, CFI=0.915, GFI=0.916, TLI=0.900). Conclusion: The HGCS, consisting of 28 items across five sub-dimensions, was found to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing coping strategies in pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum.