The Evaluation Of The Vulnerable Personality Style Questionnaire And The Research On The Vulnerable Personality For The Postnatal Depression

The study of the vulnerable personality of postnatal depression needs a perfect instrument. Before a western questionnaire is used in China, we should evaluate its validity and reliability. The Vulnerable Personality Style Questionnaire (VPSQ) is an instrument to measure the vulnerable personality of postnatal depression. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of VPSQ used in Chinese nulliparous. Methods:Following the psychometric procedure, the questionnaire is translated, commented and pilot tested. As a result, three items are modified. Then it is formally tested in a sample of 349 nulliparous to evaluate its validity and reliability. We also combine the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at sis weeks to discuss the relationship between responses on the VPSQ and postnatal depression. Results:Content validity: Through translation and pilot test, two items of the questionnaire were modified. Construct validity: Through the factor analysis with principal component extraction and varimax rotation, the 9 items were integrated into two subscales. Both the conceptual domain of the subscale was corresponded with the theoretical premise. Criterion validity: The correlation between the Vulnerable Personality Style Questionnaire and the Edinburgh Postnatal-3-(VPSQ)Depression Scale was significant. Discriminant validity: The depressed women scored significantly higher on the full scale and particularly on the vulnerability sub-scale than the non-depressed women. The depressed women returned lower scores on the organized/responsive sub-scale.The split-half reliability of the scale is 0.62.Chronbach's alpha was calculated for the whole scale, the vulnerability and the organized/responsive sub-scale. Good internal consistency was found for the vulnerability sub-scale but not on the 3 -item organized/responsive sub-scale.Worrier, obsessive, volatility, timidity, sensitivity and coping were considered to be associated with vulnerability to the postnatal depression. The vulnerability sub-scale had an adjusted odds ratio of 1.837 and the organized/responsive sub-scale an odds ratio of 0.755. Women who scored above 20 (one standard deviation above the mean) on the vulnerability sub-scale were significantly more likely to be cases of postnatal depression than women who scored below 20. Conclusions:The Chinese version of VPSQ is good in its reliability and validity. We believe that this will be a useful questionnaire that could be used as a quick screen to identify vulnerable personality style for postnatal depression.