Translation and validation of the Breast-feeding Self-efficacy Scale into Turkish.

BACKGROUND: Recent research indicates that most mothers give up breast feeding their infants early in the postpartum period due to difficulties with breast feeding and the belief that they are inefficient at breast feeding. Using self-efficacy theory as a conceptual framework to measure breast-feeding confidence, a Turkish version of the Breast-feeding Self-Efficacy Scale (BSES) was developed and psychometrically tested among Turkish mothers.

OBJECTIVE: To translate the BSES into Turkish and assess its psychometric properties among breast-feeding mothers.

DESIGN: A methodological study to assess the reliability, validity and predictive value of the BSES.

SETTING: Women were recruited from two mother and child health-care units in the Altındağ district in Izmir, Turkey between 2006 and 2007, and followed up two months post partum.

PARTICIPANTS: 165 Turkish-speaking women.

METHODS: Following back-translation, questionnaires were completed in hospital and at home by postnatal women. The BSES was administrated at one, four and eight weeks post partum to determine the method of infant feeding. The interviews and home visits were conducted in mothers' own homes at a mutually convenient time.

FINDINGS: The psychometric assessment method used to validate the original BSES (English version) was replicated with the translated Turkish version. The well-concordance coefficient of Kendall's W scale was 0.227, p<0.01 and the test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.45. The consistency of the scale in terms of temporal process was efficient (p = 0.00). Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.91 and 0.92 at one and four weeks post partum, respectively, and the reliability of the scale was found to be high (0.80 ≤ α<1.00).

KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The Turkish version of the BSES can be used to determine which mothers are at risk of giving up breast feeding early in the postpartum period, and the subjects they need to learn about breast feeding.