Content Validity of the Spanish Version of the Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

BACKGROUND: There are few validated instruments that specifically measure the stress experienced by parents of babies admitted to neonatal intensive care units. The Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, developed by M. Miles et al in 1987, translated and validated in several languages, is a questionnaire that comprehensively measures parental stress in these units. The objective was to perform the translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and content validation of the Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to assess the stress experienced by parents of babies admitted to Spanish neonatal intensive care units. METHODS: Four translators produced the final version. A panel of 13 experts validated the content based on criteria of relevance, clarity, simplicity, and appropriateness using the Delphi method, calculating validity indices for each item and for the scale as a whole. RESULTS: The content validity index for the instructions was 0.98. After 2 rounds of expert review, nearly all items scored above 0.75; 3 did not, with 1 being modified and 2 retained after analysis by the research team. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH: The Spanish version of the Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a relevant, clear, simple, and appropriate tool for assessing the stress experienced by parents of babies admitted to neonatal intensive care units in Spain, as well as in other Spanish-speaking countries. Its psychometric properties should be evaluated in future studies.