Pandemic-related pregnancy stress among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain

Objective The aim was to develop and establish the psychometric properties of the Pandemic-Related Pregnancy Stress Scale (PREPS) in European Spanish speaking pregnant women in Spain. Design A cross section design using a non-random sample of 206 women completed the questionnaire during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown from April to June 2020 in Spain. Psychological, sociodemographic and obstetric factors and the new PREPS were collected. Results Bartlett's test of sphericity (χ2(105) = 580.36, p .77), and for F1 - Preparedness (α > .65), for F2 - Infection (α > 0.60) and for F3 - Positive appraisal (α > .55). The three factors exhibited good inter-item correlations, (F1 – Preparedness: .21; F2 – Infection: .23, and F3 – Positive Appraisal: .29). Convergent validity was examined through the Pearson's correlation coefficients of the PREPS with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (PDQ). Correlation between PREPS total and PSS was high, and moderate with PDQ (p < .05). Conclusion The psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the PREPS make it a valuable psychological measure to assess pandemic-related stress among pregnant women