Validation of the Perception of Obstetric Violence in Students Questionnaire into Turkish: Insights from Healthcare Settings

Objective: This study aims to translate, validate, and assess the reliability of the Turkish version of the Perception of Obstetric Violence in Students Questionnaire (PercOV-S Q) and describe disrespectful and abusive mistreatment during facility-based childbirth. Materials and Methods: The PercOV-S Q, an objective questionnaire measuring perceived mistreatment during facility-based childbirth, comprising 33 positively worded questions on a 5-level Likert scale, was translated into Turkish. An online survey was sent to 140 obstetrics and gynecology residents via hospital email accounts, with 133 participants forming the cohort. Principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation was performed, and items with a loading of 0.40 on a principal components analysis were retained. The Cronbach's statistic was used to evaluate internal consistency, with a value of 0.70 indicating satisfactory internal consistency. Results: The main result of this study is the Turkish translation of the PercOV-S Q is valid and reliable. The viability of factor analysis was confirmed by the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test (p = 0.814) and Bartlett's test for sphericity (X2 = 1898.897; p <= 0.001). The overall reliability of the questionnaire, measured by Cronbach's Alpha score, was 0.840, indicating the questionnaire is suitable at the individual level in Turkish. Conclusion: The lack of a precise definition makes it difficult to understand the real perception among healthcare professionals and limits educational opportunities against obstetric mistreatment. In conclusion, the PercOV-S Q serves as a comprehensive and universal tool, and the Turkish translation of this questionnaire can be used as educational material. Translating and validating the PercOV-S Q across various languages and administering it to trainees from different cultural backgrounds will highlight its universal applicability and improve insights into the worldwide occurrence of obstetric mistreatment.