Validation of the Arabic Version of the Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS: NICU)

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a highly stressful environment for parents. The Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS: NICU) has been validated and used in several languages aside Arabic. This study aimed at translating the scale to Arabic (A-PSS: NICU) and validating it using a cohort of parents of infants admitted to the NICU. Between August 2015 and May 2017, the reliability and construct validity of the A-PSS: NICU were tested on 207 mothers and fathers in two tertiary care hospitals within Greater Beirut. Participants answered the A-PSS: NICU questionnaire, and were interviewed by a clinical psychologist who used the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A). An exploratory factor analysis revealed that the A-PSS: NICU is composed of four factors. The A-PSS: NICU overall reliability was excellent (Cronbach’s alpha .92). The A-PSS: NICU scores correlated positively and significantly with those of the HAM-A (r = .24, p < .0001). The A-PSS: NICU is a valid and reliable measure of parents’ stress in the NICU. Using this scale may prove to be beneficial to Arabic-speaking parents as it assists health professionals in identifying potential stressors that can be addressed during the infants’ stay within the NICU.