Edinburgh Napier University

  Background
The 10-item Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) is a quick and easy survey instrument recommended by the International Consortium for Health Outcome Measures as the tool of choice for measuring women’s birth satisfaction.

Aim
To translate and validate a Vietnamese-language version of the BSS-R.

Method
A quantitative cross-sectional method was used to gather data post translation and back-translation of a Vietnamese version of the BSS-R (VN-BSS-R). Data collected were psychometrically evaluated using key indices of validity and reliability.

Participants
Vietnamese women who were within one month postpartum of birth (N = 383) took part in the study.

Results
Findings illustrate that a two-factor model offered excellent psychometric properties. With the two-factor VN-BSS-R, five items loaded onto a subscale ‘Positive birth experiences’ and the other five onto a second subscale ‘Negative birth experiences’. This two-factor model offered a fit to data (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.07, 90% confidence interval [CI] [0.05, 0.09], root square mean residual [RMSE] = 0.04 and comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.97). Mean scores for the exploratory factor analysis [EFA]-derived ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ sub-scales were 17.12 (SD 2.34) and 8.40 (SD 4.18) respectively.

Conclusion
The translated and validated VN-BSS-R is a psychometrically robust tool for measuring birth satisfaction in Vietnamese postpartum women.

The VN-BSS-R is available for use to measure experiences and perceptions of intrapartum care received by Vietnamese women