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Psychological well-being of gynecologic and obstetric patients: a validation of the 12-item Well-Being Questionnaire (W-BQ12)

Psychisches Wohlbefinden gynäkologischer und geburtshilflicher Patientinnen: Validierung des 12-item Well-being Questionnaire (W-BQ12)

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Summary

Background

Gynecology and obstetrics are areas of medicine associated with emotionally loaded concerns. Both positive and negative aspects of psychological well-being can be assessed with the 12-item Well-Being Questionnaire (W-BQ12). Our study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the W-BQ12 in gynecologic and obstetric patients.

Methods

A cohort of 228 gynecologic patients, consisting of endocrinologic (n = 102) and obstetric (n = 126) subgroups, responded to a structured interview or to a questionnaire about sociodemographic and medical data, and to a set of psychometric tests: the W-BQ12, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD). Except for the current health problem, all probable confounding factors (psychiatric, oncologic, or other somatic morbidity, postmenopausal status) were excluded.

Results

The W-BQ12 scores correlated significantly and adequately (r = 0.35–0.80) with reference instruments (HADS, BDI, and HAMD). The internal consistency, measured by Cronbach’s alpha, was very good for the whole questionnaire (0.86) as well as for the subscales (0.76–0.79). The principal component analysis indicated a clear three-factor structure with eigenvalues >1. Factors 1 (“negative well-being”), 2 (“positive well-being”), and 3 (“energy”) explained 22, 21, and 19 % of the variance, respectively.

Conclusions

The W-BQ12 is suitable for the global assessment of psychological well-being, as well as for differentiation between negative and positive well-being aspects in gynecologic patients.

Zusammenfassung

Hintergrund

Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe sind Medizinbereiche mit bedeutender emotionaler Komponente. Der 12-item Well-Being Questionnaire (W-BQ12) wurde zur Erfassung von positiven und negativen Befindlichkeitsaspekten entwickelt. Das Ziel unserer Studie war die Validierung des W-BQ12 in gynäkologischen und geburtshilflichen Patientinnenkollektiven.

Methodik

Die untersuchte Kohorte bestand aus 102 gynäkologisch-endokrinologischen und 126 geburtshilflichen Probandinnen. Die Patientinnen beantworteten den W-BQ12, die Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), das Beck Depressionsinventar (BDI) und die Hamilton Depressionsskala (HAMD). Eventuelle konfundierende Faktoren (psychiatrische, onkologische, chirurgische Komorbiditäten, sowie Pubertät und Postmenopause) waren Ausschlusskriterien. Wir untersuchten die interne Konsistenz, die konkurrente, diskriminative und konvergente Validität, sowie die Faktorstruktur des W-BQ12.

Ergebnisse

Die Scores des W-BQ12 korrelierten (r = 0,35–0,80) mit den Referenzinstrumenten (HADS, BDI and HAMD). Die innere Konsistenz, ermittelt mit Cronbachs Alpha, zeigte sehr gute Werte für die Gesamtskala (0,86) und für die Subskalen (0,76–0,79). Die Hauptkomponentenanalyse ergab eine klare Drei-Faktor-Struktur bei Eigenwerten >1. Faktor 1 („Negatives Well-being“), 2 („Positives Well-being“), und 3 („Energie“) erklärten 22, 21 und 19 % der Gesamtvarianz.

Schlussfolgerung

Der W-BQ12 deckte nahezu ideal die intendierten Bereiche des negativen und positiven Wohlbefindens ab und zeigte keine teststatistischen Schwächen. Der W-BQ12 ist geeignet sowohl zur globalen Erfassung des psychischen Wohlbefindens als auch zur Differenzierung zwischen dessen negativen und positiven Aspekten bei gynäkologischen und geburtshilflichen Patientinnen.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. Leon Drobnik (President of the Medical University Poznan in the study period) for the approval of the research project. We thank Prof. Alina Warenik-Szymankiewicz, the head of the Division of Gynecological Endocrinology in the study period, and Prof. Zbigniew Słomko, the head of the Division of Perinatology in the study period, Medical University in Poznan, Poland, for their support in conducting the studies. We thank the Katholischer Akademischer Ausländerdienst Bonn for supporting the cooperation with the University of Bonn with a travel grant. We thank Prof. Dr. Elżbieta Kaczmarek of the Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Medical University Poznan, and Prof. Dr. Bronisław Ceranka of the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Methods, University of Life Sciences Poznan, for statistical advice. We thank Prof. Clare Bradley for her advice on the analysis and comments on the draft manuscript. We thank Health Psychology Research Ltd. for providing a retrospective license agreement for the use of the W-BQ. For access to the W-BQ12, visit www.healthpsychologyresearch.com.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there are no actual or potential conflicts of interest in relation to this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, St. Josefskrankenhaus, Teaching Hospital of the University of Freiburg, Sautierstr. 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

    Rafał Watrowski

  2. Department of Gynecologic Psychosomatics, Women’s University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53105, Bonn, Germany

    Anke Rohde

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Correspondence to Rafał Watrowski.

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Watrowski, R., Rohde, A. Psychological well-being of gynecologic and obstetric patients: a validation of the 12-item Well-Being Questionnaire (W-BQ12). Wien Klin Wochenschr 126, 524–531 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-014-0569-6

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