METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted. The translated Malay version of the WOMBLSQ was completed by 200 postpartum women in a tertiary hospital. The Rasch model was applied to investigate the statistics, unidimensionality, item polarity and misfit, person misfit and person item distribution map.
RESULTS: The Rasch analysis showed that the 27 items, in nine dimensions, had high item reliability and item separation at 0.98 and 7.65 respectively, while good person reliability and person separation were at 0.78 and 1.90, respectively. Item 6 ('My birth partner/husband couldn't have supported me any better') (outfit MnSq = 1.74, outfit z-std = 6.9, PtMea Corr = - 0.02) and Item 5 ('My birth partner/husband helped me to understand what was going on when I was in labor') (outfit MnSq = 1.65, outfit z-std = 2.9, PtMea Corr = 0.13) are misfit. Item 6 needs to be re-examined for removal or rephrasing, while Item 5 correlates poorly with the construct. Eight persons have the most misfitting response strings based on Item 6 but extremely trivial differences were found in the parameter estimates after refitting the model. Ten items easily endorse satisfaction from the respondents.
CONCLUSION: The WOMBLSQ tested among postpartum women has been shown to have a good person reliability index and a high item reliability index. Items 5 and 6 do not contribute in the construction of scale but not degrading and suggested for refining. The spread of item difficulty should be improved in the future modification of items.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. Postpartum women were identified from a tertiary hospital and evaluated at 1-month postnatal period using WOMBLSQ. The Rasch model was used to investigate the reliability, unidimensionality, item and person misfits and distribution map.
RESULTS: A total of 195 women were involved. The Rasch analysis revealed that the 30 items had a high level of reliability at 0.99 and item separation at 9.02. It has a low level of reliability at 0.45 and persons separation at 0.90. All the items are considered fit. Five people have most misfitting response strings based on item IPS_Q15, 'I was given little advice on contraception following the birth of my baby', but extremely trivial differences were found in the parameter estimates after refitting the model. The more difficult item to endorse satisfaction is item CA_Q17 'I was given little advice on contraception following the birth of my baby'.
CONCLUSIONS: The WOMBLSQ tested in postpartum women proved to have high item reliability index but with an adequate sample. The analysis shows that the 30 items target the right form of respondents, have similar latent characteristics of postpartum women and a shared sense of satisfaction. For future improvement, more difficult items endorsing satisfaction should be created, and the common items in which satisfaction is expected should be reduced.