Turkish validity and reliability study of paternal antenatal attachment scale

Aim: The aim of this research was to adapt the validity and reliability of the PAAS developed by Condon to measure the attachment between father and baby before birth for Turkish fathers. Material and Method: The universe of the methodological study consisted of fathers who applied to Malatya Training and Research Hospital Beydağı Campus Gynecology Clinics with their spouse for pregnancy follow-up. 580 fathers were included in the research. The data were obtained by applying the Personal Identification Form and a PAAS consisting of 16 questions to the fathers who accepted to participate in the study between November 2018 and April 2019. In addition to descriptive statistics such as number, percentage, mean and standard deviation, language and scope validity, EFA, CFA, Cronbach's α reliability coefficient and test-retest analysis were used for statistical analysis of the data. Data were analyzed with SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 24.0 statistical package programs. Results: In the study, as a result of the EFA, it was determined that the PAAS consisted of 16 items, 8 items in the "quality of attachment" sub-dimension and 8 items in the "time spent in attachment mode" sub-dimension. The factor loadings of the scale items were above 0.30 and explained 41.01% of the total variance. It supported the 2-factor scale structure resulting from EFA and CFA. Good fit index values were obtained as a result of CFA. Cronbach's α was found to be 0.82 in the total scale, 0.80 in the "quality of attachment" sub-dimension and 0.67 in the "time spent in attachment mode". In addition, item-total correlation and test-retest analysis of the scale had a high correlation. Conclusion: It was determined that the PAAS had a validity and reliability similar to the original scale, and it was an adequate measurement tool that for the fathers in Turkish society could be used to evaluate the attitudes towards attachment between prenatal father and baby. Key Words: Paternal, attachment, antenatal, validity, reliability, scale.