TY - JOUR ID - 9251 TI - The Development and Initial Validation of the Perinatal Mental Health Awareness Scale in Student Midwives JO - Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health JA - JMRH LA - en SN - AU - Martin, Colin AU - Jomeen, Julie AU - Jarrett, Patricia AD - Professor of Mental Health, Faculty of Society and Health, Buckinghamshire New University, Uxbridge, UK AD - Professor and Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, UK AD - Research Fellow, Department of Adult, Child and Midwifery, School of Health and Education, University of Middlesex, Middlesex, UK Y1 - 2017 PY - 2017 VL - 5 IS - 4 SP - 1021 EP - 1031 KW - Assessment KW - Curriculum KW - Holistic KW - Learning disability KW - Perinatal mental health KW - Psychometric DO - 10.22038/jmrh.2017.9251 N2 - Background: Perinatal mental health problems have been demonstrated to impact upon maternal, and fetal/child outcomes. Despite the global evidence and a policy-driven responsibility for identification of these problems, research demonstrates that student midwives/midwives lack knowledge and confidence to assess, identify, and manage them. A similar context is evident for learning disabilities, despite the holistic care philosophy of midwifery. A brief assessment tool to identify knowledge and confidence defecits and strengths within a holistic care framework could support curriculum development. This study sought to develop a Perinatal Mental Health Awareness scale and evaluate its psychometric properties in student midwives. Methods: We employed a cross-sectional and exploratory instrument development and evaluation design to determine the measurement veracity of the new scale. Results: The scale demonstrated good psychometric properties, revealing three subscales mapping onto (i) mental health symptoms, (ii) physical/medical issues and (iii) learning disability. Results indicated a clear differentiation in scores across the subscales, indicating comparative deficits in mental health domains. Conclusion: Our findings facilitate confidence in the psychometric robustness of the measure. The scale enables student midwives to assess and compare different domains of midwifery practice, in line with a holistic model of midwifery care. A focus on physical health in midwifery education appears to disadvantage knowledge and confidence for managing mental health problems in a midwifery context. This valuable finding highlights the potential need for curriculum rebalancing. The measure offers the opportunity to assess and develop curriculum/training provision and monitor the effectiveness of subsequent curricular developments. UR - https://jmrh.mums.ac.ir/article_9251.html L1 - https://jmrh.mums.ac.ir/article_9251_751c90ee5cf8b8ed824bfda7dbc1878d.pdf ER -