Development of a Japanese version of the LMUP screening tool for assessing unplanned pregnancy: Creating a translated version based on linguistic validity

The purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a Japanese version of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP), a questionnaire for screening unplanned pregnancy, taking into account its linguistic validity. /./ Method: The Japanese version of LMUP was created through the following steps: Stage 1: independent forward translation by two people; Stage 2: discussion among the researchers and integration of the forward translations; Stage 3: independent back-translation by two people; Stage 4: discussion among the researchers and creation of a Japanese version (provisional version); Stage 5: review. /./ Result: In the process of creating the Japanese version of LMUP, we discussed with Geraldine Barrett, the developer of the original LMUP, and in the fifth stage, we examined the linguistic validity and finalized the Japanese version. The main content that required consideration in the translation process was to minimize the differences in meaning and nuance that arise between languages ​​that are perceived on different time axes by respondents, such as "In the month that I became pregnant" and "Just before I became pregnant." /./ Conclusion: Through a series of translation steps, a Japanese version of the LMUP was developed that took linguistic validity into account.