Validation of the Slovak version of the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ), version A.

AIM: This study aimed to assess the psychometric characteristics of the Slovak translation of the version A of Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (SW-DEQ) among healthy Slovak pregnant women. METHOD: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the SW-DEQ was performed. Several coefficients of internal consistency were employed for the whole scale as well as for separate factors. Concurrent/convergent validity was assessed by correlation analysis of the overall SW-DEQ score with State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Eysenck Personality Inventory - subscales Neuroticism and Extraversion, as well as with adjusted versions of Beck Depression Inventory and Internal-External Locus of Control Scale. EFA yielded seven factors: 'lack of composure', 'negative appraisal', 'lack of self-efficacy', 'lack of positive anticipation', 'fear and hopelessness', 'loneliness', and 'concern for the child'. RESULTS: The Cronbach's α of the whole scale was .93, while for the separate factors, it ranged between .68 and .87. The sum score of SW-DEQ correlated weakest with extraversion (in nulliparous women) and locus of control (in multiparous women), and strongest with trait anxiety (in both groups). CONCLUSIONS: The Slovak version could be considered a valid and reliable measure of fear of childbirth among pregnant Slovak women. However, the dimensional structure of the measure warrants further confirmation (Tab. 7, Ref. 33).

Gender differences in adolescent health-related behaviour diminished between 1998 and 2006.

OBJECTIVES: Male teenagers used to smoke more than females, but this male:female ratio has reversed in several European countries over recent decades. The aim of this study was to assess whether a similar shift in gender differences in smoking and other health-related behaviours has occurred in Slovak adolescents over the last decade. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Data were collected in 1998 (n=2616, 52.4% male, mean age 14.9±0.6 years, response rate 96.3%) and 2006 (n=1081, 47.0% male, mean age 14.3±0.6 years, response rate 93.0%). Changes in gender-specific prevalence rates for smoking, alcohol consumption and lack of physical activity were assessed for both cohorts overall and by socio-economic group using the highest educational level of the parents. RESULTS: Statistically significant changes occurred in the male:female ratios for smoking and lack of physical activity but not for alcohol consumption. The prevalence of smoking in males dropped below that in females, and the physical activity of females increased substantially. However, changes in gender ratios varied strongly by socio-economic group. The greatest shift in the gender ratio for smoking occurred in the middle socio-economic group, showing an increase in the entire sample. Changes in gender ratios over time among adolescents from the highest socio-economic group were much smaller. CONCLUSIONS: The behaviour of Slovak female adolescents has become similar to that of their male peers in terms of smoking and physical activity. This shift in the gender ratio in Slovakia over the last decade mimics the shift in Western Europe from approximately two decades ago.