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01-04-2011 | Original Article

The Vulnerable Personality Style Questionnaire: psychometric properties in Spanish postpartum women

Authors: Estel Gelabert, Susana Subirà, Anna Plaza, Anna Torres, Purificación Navarro, María Luisa Ímaz, Manuel Valdés, Lluïsa García-Esteve, Rocío Martín-Santos

Published in: Archives of Women's Mental Health | Issue 2/2011

Abstract

The Vulnerable Personality Style Questionnaire (VPSQ) is a nine-item self-report scale developed to asses personality traits which increase the risk of postpartum depression. The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the VPSQ in a sample of postpartum women. A cohort of 309 postpartum women was followed up for 32 weeks after delivery. All women were assessed with the Spanish version of the VPSQ, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-R Short Scale, the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale and the harm avoidance dimension of the Temperament and Character Inventory at 2–3 days postpartum. Depressive symptoms were evaluated at 8 and 32 weeks after delivery by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and a diagnostic interview was used to confirm the presence of major depression disorder. Factor analysis results revealed the unidimensionality of the Spanish version of the VPSQ. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the VPSQ total score was 0.63. The test–retest reliability indicated a good temporal stability (ICC = 0.88; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.82–0.91). A moderate association between the VPSQ and other personality measures provided evidence for its construct validity. Logistic regression analyses showed that women with higher scores on the VPSQ had a higher risk of developing depressive symptoms (OR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.11–1.29) and major depression (OR = 1.16; 95% CI = 1.07–1.26) throughout the 32 weeks after delivery. Overall, our results suggest adequate psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the VPSQ and its usefulness in identifying women with a personality style that increases the risk of developing postpartum depression.

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Title: The Vulnerable Personality Style Questionnaire: psychometric properties in Spanish postpartum women
Authors: Estel Gelabert
Susana Subirà
Anna Plaza
Anna Torres
Purificación Navarro
María Luisa Ímaz
Manuel Valdés
Lluïsa García-Esteve
Rocío Martín-Santos
Publication date: 01-04-2011
Publisher: Springer Vienna
Published in: Archives of Women's Mental Health / Issue 2/2011
Print ISSN: 1434-1816
Electronic ISSN: 1435-1102
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-010-0186-y

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

The Vulnerable Personality Style Questionnaire: psychometric properties in Spanish postpartum women

Abstract

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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