Reliability Analysis of the SF-36 Questionnaire in Pregnant Population from a Region in Northern Spain

Authors

  • Cristian Mar´tín Vázquez Departamento de Enfermería y Fisioterapia. Área de Enfermería. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad de León. Campus de Ponferrada. Ponferrada.
  • Laura Rosón Matilla Servicio de Partos. Hospital del Bierzo. Ponferrada
  • Cristina Liébana Presa Departamento de Enfermería y Fisioterapia. Área de Enfermería. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad de León. Campus de Ponferrada. Ponferrada.
  • Rubén García Fernández Departamento de Enfermería y Fisioterapia. Área de Enfermería. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad de León. Campus de Ponferrada. Ponferrada.
  • José David Urchaga Litago Facultad de Comunicación. Universidad Pontifi cia de Salamanca. Salamanca.
  • Ascensión Galán Barrio Servicio de Partos. Hospital Universitario Lucus Augusti. Lugo.

Keywords:

Quality of Life, Nursing, Obstetric, SF-36

Abstract

Background: Quality of life during pregnancy is crucial as physiological changes can signifi cantly impact individual well-being perception. While instruments like the SF-36 exist to measure quality of life, their specific application in Spanish pregnant women has not been fully validated. The general objective focuses on examining the reliability of the SF-36 questionnaire as a tool for evaluating
quality of life in pregnant women in a northern region of Spain.
Methodology: The study recruited 300 pregnant women between weeks 8 and 36 of gestation using simple random sampling. Sociodemographic and obstetric- gynecological data were collected through a selfadministered questionnaire, including information such as age, marital status, nationality, area of residence, obstetric history, and conception method. Quality of life assessment was conducted using the SF-36 questionnaire, which examines eight dimensions of perceived health, as well as physical and mental summary components.
Results: The results showed a mean age of 33.30 years in the sample, with the majority of women being Spanish and urban residents. Regarding obstetric variables, most pregnancies were spontaneous, and about a third had experienced previous miscarriages. Mean scores on the SF-36 dimensions varied, with physical functioning scoring the highest and vitality and role physical scoring the lowest. In terms of reliability, the SF-36 questionnaire obtained a Cronbach’s alpha score of 0.90 and a McDonald’s omega score of 0.97. Dimension-wise analysis revealed scores above 0.74 in all dimensions, except for the social functioning dimension (0.60).

Conclusions: The SF-36 demonstrated high reliability in assessing quality of life during pregnancy across all dimensions and summary components, except for social functioning. Exploration of alternative instruments for this area is suggested, alongside further promotion of research in the fi eld.

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Published

2025-08-26

How to Cite

Mar´tín Vázquez, C., Rosón Matilla, L., Liébana Presa, C., García Fernández, R., Urchaga Litago, J. D., & Galán Barrio, A. (2025). Reliability Analysis of the SF-36 Questionnaire in Pregnant Population from a Region in Northern Spain. Revista Enfermeir@s, 2(43), 66–72. Retrieved from https://www.enfermerialugo.org/revista/index.php/enfermeiraos/article/view/72

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Vol. 2 No. 43 (2024): Enfermeir@s. Journal of the Illustrious Official College of Nursing of Lugo

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Original Articles in Health Sciences

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