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Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the anxiety control questionnaire-revised in pregnant women

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Abstract

Anxiety disorders are very frequent during pregnancy. Anxiety control is a generalized psychological vulnerability for its development. The aim of this study is to explore the psychometric properties of the Anxiety Control Questionnaire Revised (ACQ-R) in Spanish pregnant women. 275 women responded to measures of anxiety, depression, affect, and quality of life. The original three-factor solution of the ACQ-R (emotional, threat, and stress control) was replicated by confirmatory analysis. The model fit improved when item 15 was changed from the emotional to the stress scale. Significant associations between ACQ-R scores and depression, anxiety, affect, and quality of life were found. During pregnancy, the measurement of risk factors for the development of anxiety disorders is needed. The ACQ-R is a short and valid instrument that assesses anxiety control perception during pregnancy, which can be a mechanism underlying anxiety progression, and hence a potential target for treatment.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all women who voluntarily participated in this study as well as all collaborating centers and all healthcare professionals.

Authors’ Statement

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation: Verónica Martínez-Borba and Laura Andreu; Data collection: Jorge Osma; Methodology: Carlos Suso-Ribera; Analysis: Carlos Suso-Ribera and Verónica Martínez-Borba; Writing (original draft preparation): Verónica Martínez-Borba and Jorge Osma; Writing (review and editing) Carlos Suso-Ribera, Jorge Osma and Laura Andreu. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Funding

This study was partially supported by the Universitat Jaume I (PREDOC/2018/43), the Conselleria de Sanidad (Agencia Valenciana de salud; SMP 45/2011), the Fundación Universitaria Antonio Gargallo and the Obra Social Ibercaja (2013/B006 and 2014/B006). The research team S31_20D has also received funds by the Gobierno de Aragón (Departamento de Innovación, Investigación y Universidad) and FEDER “Construyendo Europa desde Aragón”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Basic, Clinical and Psychobiological Psychology, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain

    Verónica Martínez-Borba & Carlos Suso-Ribera

  2. Health Research Institute of Aragon (Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain

    Verónica Martínez-Borba, Jorge Osma & Laura Andreu-Pejó

  3. Department of Psychology and Sociology, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    Jorge Osma

  4. Departamento de Psicología y Sociología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, Universidad de Zaragoza, C/Ciudad Escolar s/n, 44003, Teruel, Spain

    Jorge Osma

  5. Department of Nursing, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain

    Laura Andreu-Pejó

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  1. Verónica Martínez-Borba
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  2. Jorge Osma
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  3. Carlos Suso-Ribera
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  4. Laura Andreu-Pejó
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Correspondence to Jorge Osma.

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The study and its procedures were approved by the ethical committees of the Hospital Universitario La Plana de Villarreal and the Gobierno de Aragón (CP12/2012). The study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki.

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Martínez-Borba, V., Osma, J., Suso-Ribera, C. et al. Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the anxiety control questionnaire-revised in pregnant women. Curr Psychol 42, 1807–1816 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01559-0

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