Development and validation of the Infertility self-efficacy scale

Objective: To develop and validate a scale of perceived self-efficacy for people coping with infertility treatment. Design: Self-efficacy scale development involved: [1] item generation with medical experts in reproductive health; [2] a principal components analysis with varimax rotation to identify underlying item components; [3] test-retest reliability and construct (convergent and discriminant) validity with infertility patients, who were administered the Infertility Self-Efficacy (ISE) scale with other measures; and [4] expert acceptability, as determined by reproductive health professionals. Setting: Recruitment at a fertility center, a national infertility organization, and medical trials web pages. Patient(s): A total of 213 participants (159 women; 54 men) with a diagnosis of infertility in the past 2 years were recruited for the various study phases. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Participants' infertility self-efficacy was assessed with an online assessment battery using the ISE scale; comparison mental health measures assessed current levels of fertility problem distress, perceived stress, and coping style. Reliability, validity, and component structure of the ISE was assessed. Result(s): Measurement development yielded a brief 16-item ISE scale that taps an infertility patient's perception about his or her ability to engage in a set of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral skills related to the medical treatment of infertility. The single component of "cognitive/affect regulation" suggests this core set of skills is relevant to successfully managing the experience of infertility. The ISE correlations with comparison mental health measures were as expected, suggesting good convergent and discriminant validity. Conclusion(s): The ISE scale appears to be a reliable and valid measure of an individual's self-confidence in areas related to health promotion during infertility treatment. Assessing an infertility patients' self-efficacy with the ISE may be useful in clinical research and as a counseling tool to help guide patients in actively managing their fertility treatment.