Development and preliminary psychometric evaluation of the postpartum sexual and reproductive health questionnaire (PSRHQ) in Iranian women

The postpartum period is a critical phase in a woman’s life. This study aimed to develop and psychometrically evaluate a questionnaire designed to assess sexual and reproductive health among postpartum women. This exploratory sequential mixed-method study was conducted in three phases. In the qualitative phase, 17 mothers, 5 husbands, and 6 midwives participated in semi-structured interviews. Based on the findings, an item pool was developed. In the psychometric phase, content validity, face validity, construct validity and reliability were examined. A total of 98 initial items were generated. After content and face validity assessments, followed by construct validity assessment, the initial 98-item pool was reduced to a final 26-item questionnaire. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) extracted four factors: spouse abuse, postpartum care, marital problems, and psychological-emotional problems. The total Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.899, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.846, providing evidence of satisfactory internal consistency and test–retest reliability. The PSRHQ demonstrated preliminary evidence of validity and satisfactory reliability for assessing multiple dimensions of postpartum sexual and reproductive health. Further validation, including confirmatory factor analysis and evaluation of criterion-related, longitudinal, and cross-cultural measurement properties, is needed before broader application.