Development of a Japanese version of Salmon's Item List suitable for comparing satisfaction with childbirth experience between different modes of delivery

Abstract

Purpose

Cesarean section birth rates in Japan increased to 19.7% by 2014. In Japan, there is no suitable scale for comparing the satisfaction of childbirth experience between vaginal deliveries and cesarean sections. This study aimed to develop a Japanese version of Salmon's Item List to compare different delivery modes.

Method

First, we pre-tested 22 women receiving a one-month postpartum check-up using a Japanese version of Salmon's Item List that had been translated per the process recommended by World Health Organization. Next, 401 women undergoing one-month postpartum check-ups at 5 different secondary emergency hospitals completed the translated questionnaire. SPSS Statistics ver. 23 was used for statistical analysis, and the significance level was set at 5%.

Results

There were 344 (68.8%) valid responses. Cronbach's alpha for the total scale was 0.849 and 0.654–0.90 for the three subscales, which were similar to the original version. Higher scores indicate more positive experiences. The highest total score was for planned cesarean, followed by normal delivery, emergency cesarean section, and vacuum extraction.

Conclusion

This scale can objectively evaluate childbirth experience via any mode. There is, nevertheless, still room for improvement of the Japanese version of Salmon's Item List by re-examining its subscale components.