Mothers' Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Human Milk Banking Scale: A Scale Development Study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this investigation is to construct and psychometrically evaluate a novel measurement instrument designed to capture maternal perceptions and attitudes regarding donor milk services. Method: An instrument development investigation was undertaken among mothers between 18-49 years of age with their offspring under sixty months who presented to the pediatric department of Izmir Bakir & ccedil;ay University & Ccedil;i & gbreve;li Training and Research Hospital. Information about study participants was gathered using a demographic information form and the newly constructed Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Human Milk Banking. Results: Psychometric evaluation encompassed content validity assessment, dimension reduction through principal axis factoring, structural verification via latent variable modeling, and homogeneity assessment through estimation of coefficient alpha with item-scale correlation analysis. Upon completion of item refinement procedures, the finalized eighteen-item version exhibited superior homogeneity (coefficient alpha=0.925). Sampling adequacy assessment yielded a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin coefficient of 0.789, while the Bartlett sphericity examination reached the level of statistical significance (p<0.001). Dimension reduction revealed a tripartite structure accounting for 70.089% of score variability including Communal Encouragement and Behavioral Inclination (alpha=0.943), Informational and Security Consciousness (alpha=0.874), and Personal Evaluations and Reservations (alpha=0.655). Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated satisfactory correspondence between the hypothesized model and observed data (chi & sup2;/df=1.818; Comparative Fit Index=0.965; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation=0.064). Time-dependent consistency assessment through repeated applications yielded intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.91-0.93. Conclusion: This scale constitutes a psychometrically sound 18 item-ratng instrument featuring three constituent domains appropriate for capturing mothers' perceptions and attitudes concerning donor milk services.