Background: High control and support during labor are associated with improved birth outcomes and increased maternal satisfaction with the birth experience, but measures of control and support are varied and often unidimensional. This paper reports the development and validation of a questionnaire measure of support and control in birth for use in research on birth experience and outcomes.
Methods: Study 1 interviewed women after birth (n = 10) to identify important dimensions of control and support. In study 2 (n = 402), the Support and Control in Birth (SCIB) questionnaire was developed, with three dimensions of internal control, external control, and support, which was completed by women who had given birth.
Results: Principal components analysis identified a 33-item, three-component solution, which accounted for 55% of the variance and had good reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.86-0.93).
Conclusions: Overall, these studies suggest the SCIB provides a reliable and comprehensive measure of support and control in birth.