ABSTRACT

Objective

Assessing the sucking behavior of preterm newborns is highly significant for monitoring their nutrition and development in the early stages. Such evaluations play a critical role in the early detection and intervention of preterm infants’ feeding abilities. This study was conducted to determine the validity and reliability of the “Preterm Infant Breastfeeding Behavior Scale (PIBBS)” for the Turkish population.

Methods

This methodological research was carried out with newborns and their mothers at a hospital in a province in the northern region of Türkiye. The study included premature newborns born between the 31^st and 37^th gestational weeks and monitored alongside their mothers postpartum and neonatal nurses (n=172). Data were collected using the PIBBS and a descriptive information form containing individual characteristics of mothers, infants, and nurses. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS V27 and LISREL 8.7.

Results

In the nurses’ evaluations, the total Cronbach’s α coefficient of the scale was calculated as 0.801, and the Guttman split-half coefficient was 0.761. In the mothers’ evaluations, the total Cronbach’s α coefficient was calculated as 0.827, and the Guttman split-half coefficient was 0.830. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed model fit indices in the nurses’ application as χ²/df=1.94; root mean squared error of approximation (RMSEA)=0.07, goodness of fit index (GFI)=0.97; adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI)=0.92; non-normed fit index (NNFI)=0.95; comparative fit index (CFI)=0.97; standardized root mean square residual (SRMR)=0.04. In the mothers’ application, the values were χ²/df=2.18; RMSEA=0.079; GFI=0.96; AGFI=0.91; NNFI=0.96; CFI=0.98; SRMR=0.04.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that the Turkish version of the PIBBS is a valid and reliable measurement tool. Analyses of linguistic validity, construct validity, and reliability support both mothers and nurses’ Turkish version of the scale.