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Background: Fear of childbirth affects women worldwide and can have adverse consequences. Midwives have implemented a number of interventions, autonomously or as part of a professional team. However, midwives have been unable to identify the most appropriate intervention for ensuring the reduction or alleviation of this fear to provide the best perinatal outcomes. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a prenatal educational intervention followed by specific support during childbirth, designed and delivered exclusively by midwives for women with a high fear of childbirth. Method: This randomized controlled trial was performed with two arms in two phases: an online prenatal education phase followed by a support phase during childbirth. Participating women with a high fear of childbirth, which was determined using the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire A-Spanish version, were assigned to the experimental group or the usual care control group at a 1:1 ratio. Results:Women showed a reduction in fear of childbirth in both phases of the study. According to the intention-to-treat analysis, a significant mean difference was observed in the prenatal stage in favor of the intervention group, and a nonsignificant difference was observed in favor of this same group after delivery. Discussion: The effectiveness of continuous specific prenatal education with preferential support during childbirth by midwives was indicated by improvements in the level of fear of childbirth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several instruments have been designed to assess the childbirth experience. The Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) is one of the most widely used tools. There is an improved version of this instrument, the Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ 2.0), which has not been adapted or validated for use in Spain. The aim of present study is to adapt the CEQ 2.0 to the Spanish context and evaluate its psychometric properties. Methods: This research was carried out in 2 stages. In the first stage, a methodological study was carried out in which the instrument was translated and back-translated, content validity was assessed by 10 experts (by calculating Aiken's V coefficient) and face validity was assessed in a sample of 30 postpartum women. In the second stage, a cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate construct validity by using confirmatory factor analysis, reliability evaluation (internal consistency and temporal stability) and validation by known groups. Results: In Stage 1, a Spanish version of the CEQ 2.0 (CEQ-E 2.0) was obtained with adequate face and content validity, with Aiken V scores greater than 0.70 for all items. A final sample of 500 women participated in Stage 2 of the study. The fit values for the obtained four-domain model were RMSEA = 0.038 [95% CI: 0.038–0.042], CFI = 0.989 [95% CI: 0.984–0.991], and GFI = 0.990 [95% CI: 0.982–0.991]. The overall Omega and Cronbach's Alpha coefficients were 0.872 [95% CI: 0.850–0.891] and 0.870 [95% CI: 0.849–0.890] respectively. A coefficient of intraclass correlation of 0.824 [95% CI: 0.314–0.936] (p ≤ 0.001) and a concordance coefficient of 0.694 [95% CI: 0.523–0.811] were obtained. Conclusions: The Spanish version of CEQ 2.0 (CEQ-E 2.0), has adequate psychometric properties and is a valid, useful, and reliable instrument for assessing the childbirth experience in Spanish women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Several studies show that certain thematic-clinical areas arouse greater interest among nursing students than others, which has repercussions on the job preferences of recent graduates. This produces inequalities in healthcare organisations, making it impossible to cover certain services. Aim: To identify the job preferences of nursing students at La Laguna University according to clinical subject areas once they have completed their degree studies. Method: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study with an analytical component. The study population consisted of 3rd and 4th year nursing students at La Laguna University. Different sociodemographic variables were collected, as well as questions about the students' job preferences. A descriptive analysis and an inferential analysis (Pearson's X2 test or Fisher's statistic for qualitative variables and the Student's t-test for the comparison of means for quantitative variables) were carried out using the IBM SPSS v19 statistical programme in order to explore the association between the different variables. Results: The total sample was 153 students (n=153). The response rate was 53.50%. The most preferred areas were Emergency and Urgent Nursing (Mean=3.04±1.05) and General Nursing (Mean=2.54±0.96), while the least favoured areas were "Other Areas (teaching-management-research)" (Mean=1.10±1.22) and Operating Room and Anaesthesia (Mean=1.58±1.23). Conclusions: Nursing students showed a greater willingness to work in some areas than others. It is necessary to generate new strategies in order to improve the attraction of nursing students to particular clinical areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fear of childbirth is a topical concern, yet the issue has barely been studied in Spain, and only one fear of childbirth measurement instrument has been validated in the country. The aim of this study was to translate, adapt and validate the Fear of Childbirth Questionnaire (CFQ) for use in Spain, as well as to describe and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of this instrument. In a first phase, a methodological study was carried out (translation–backtranslation and cross-cultural adaptation), and pilot study was carried out in the target population. In addition, content validation of the instrument was obtained (CFQ-e) from 10 experts. In the second phase, a cross-sectional study was carried out at several centres in Gran Canaria Island to obtain a validation sample. The evaluation of the psychometric properties of the CFQ-e, including construct validity through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, the calculation of reliability via factor consistency using the ORION coefficients as well as alpha and omega coefficients were carried out. The CFQ-e showed evidence of content validity, adequate construct validity and reliability. The CFQ-e is composed of 37 items distributed in four subscales or dimensions: "fear of medical interventions"; "fear of harm and dying"; "fear of pain" and "fears relating to sexual aspects and embarrassment". The CFQ-e constitutes a valid and reliable tool to measure the fear of childbirth in the Spanish pregnant population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]