The German version of the pandemic-related pregnancy stress scale: A validation study

The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to exceptional stress in pregnant women. In order to evaluate stress levels of pregnant woman in this difficult time, the Pandemic-Related Pregnancy Scale (PREPS) was introduced in the US. The present study introduces and validates the German version of the PREPS. In total, 1364 German-speaking pregnant women from Germany and Switzerland took part in this online cohort study and completed the PREPS as well as gave information on sociodemographic, obstetric and other psychological factors. A confirmatory factor analysis of the PREPS showed very good psychometric values and confirmed the structure of the original questionnaire. The PREPS comprises three dimensions: Infection Stress (5 items), Preparedness Stress (7 items) and Positive Appraisal (3 items). Furthermore, correlations between the PREPS and other psychological factors such as Pregnancy Specific Stress and Fear of Childbirth highlight convergent validity. The sensitivity of the questionnaire was demonstrated by its associations with several obstetric and COVID-19 related factors. The German PREPS showed good psychometric properties and is a useful instrument for future studies which aim to investigate the impact of pandemic-related stress on birth outcomes and postpartum factors.