Poster Presentation Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society Annual Scientific Meeting 2019

Psychosocial Wellbeing among New Mothers with Diabetes: Analysis of the Postnatal Wellbeing in Transition Questionnaire (#82)

Karen Wynter 1 , Alison Nankervis 2 , Helen Skouteris 3 , Catharine McNamara 4 , Cate Nagle 5 , Cheryl Steele 6 , Lauren Bruce 3 , Sara Holton 1 , Bodil Rasmussen 1
  1. School of Nursing and Midwifery, Deakin University - Western Health Partnership, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  2. Departments of Diabetes and Endocrinology , Royal Melbourne and Women's Hospitals, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  3. Monash Centre for Health Research & Implementation, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  4. Diabetes Education, Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  5. Nursing and Midwifery, James Cook University / Townsville Hospital and Health Service, Townsville, QLD, Australia
  6. Diabetes Education Services, Sunshine Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Background and Aims: The Postnatal Wellbeing in Transition Questionnaire was developed in order to assess the wellbeing of women with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes as they transition to motherhood. Face and content validity have been previously reported; however the questionnaire has 51 items which imposes a substantial burden on respondents. The aims of this study was to conduct exploratory analysis of the Postnatal Wellbeing in Transition Questionnaire to investigate whether (a) a reduction in the number of items was statistically supported, and (b) clinically meaningful subscales could be derived.

Methods: We aimed to recruit a total of 40 women with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes during pregnancy. Women from three metropolitan hospitals in Melbourne, Australia, completed surveys across three postnatal time points: one, three and six months after the birth of the infant. Data were pooled for the analysis. Suitability for factor analysis was confirmed and exploratory Principal Components Analysis with oblique rotation was conducted.

Results: Of the 79 women recruited during pregnancy, 39 were retained until the final assessment. The total number of responses across the three postnatal data points was 117. Iterative factor analysis of the Postnatal Wellbeing in Transition Questionnaire scale items resulted in 27 items and six factors, which together explained 68.7% of the variance. The subscales assess: feeling as if one is coping with diabetes and the newborn; feeling anxious and guilty about diabetes; feeling supported by family; sensitivity to the opinions of others; prioritising self-care; and support from health professionals.

Conclusions: The number of items in the Postnatal Wellbeing in Transition Questionnaire was reduced from 51 to 27 items. Six meaningful subscales emerged, which may help health professionals identify and address areas in which women with diabetes are experiencing psychosocial difficulties. The revised scale provides a feasible instrument to be tested for psychometric properties in a larger sample.

Ethical compliance statement: This presentation reports on research using human participants with approval from Institutional Human Research Ethics Committees