Psychometric Properties of Japanese Version of the Attitudes towards Fertility and Childbearing Scale (AFCS)
Mieko Miyata *
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan.
Takehisa Matsukawa
Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan.
Yoshio Suzuki
Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan.
Kazuhito Yokoyama
Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan.
Satoru Takeda
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aim: To verify the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Attitudes toward Fertility and Childbearing Scale (AFCS).
Study Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive study. The sample was examined again for the test-retest reliability.
Place and Duration of Study: The sample included 1149 participants. They were students of a university in the Kanto area, workers, couples under fertility treatment, parents with children attending a nursery, and couples attending an antenatal clinic in Japan. The study was conducted between April and June 2016.
Methodology: A set of questionnaires including the AFCS were distributed.
Results: A 5-factor structure was extracted by exploratory factor analysis, which we found to be robust in confirmatory factor analyses with comparison with other models. Subscales included Personal Development, Restrictedness, Avoidance of Responsibility, Social Identity, and Importance. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were confirmed. The 5 subscales showed expected correlations with other variables and good construct validity.
Conclusion: The Japanese version of the AFCS may be a psychometrically sound measure of women’s as well as men’s attitudes towards childbearing.
Keywords: Attitudes towards childbearing, factor structure, Japan, reliability, construct validity