Psychometric properties of the paternal support scale for breastfeeding in the Iranian fathers population.

PROBLEM: The support of fathers is a crucial factor for successful breastfeeding. However, there has been a lack of a validated tool to measure this in Iran, which has impeded targeted assessment and intervention.

BACKGRUND: Breastfeeding provides essential health benefits for infants. Paternal support plays a significant role in its continuation, highlighting the importance of having a culturally adapted measurement instrument within the Iranian context.

METHODS

This methodological study used a cross-sectional design and selected 460 Iranian fathers through multi‑stage cluster sampling (detailed in Methods). It examined the scale's face validity, content validity, construct validity, and reliability after translation and cultural adaptation.

RESULTS

First, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the original 21‑item unidimensional model showed poor fit (χ²/df = 10.95, CFI = 0.45, RMSEA = 0.20), indicating that the original structure was not appropriate for the Iranian population. Therefore, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted, following which two items were removed from the original 21-item Turkish scale. The final Persian version comprised 19 items loading on four dimensions: cooperation, empowerment, caring, and facilitation. EFA extracted these factors explaining 62.507% of the total variance, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) confirmed the model's adequacy. The scale demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.89) and excellent test-retest reliability (ICC=0.95).

DISCUSSION: The study has successfully culturally adapted the PSSB into Persian, resulting in a culturally relevant, multidimensional tool. The four identified dimensions capture the holistic nature of paternal support in breastfeeding, aligning with the Iranian family context. The strong psychometric properties confirm its robustness for application in similar urban, educated populations.

CONCLUSION

In this sample of Iranian fathers from Ardabil, the Persian version of the Paternal Support Scale for Breastfeeding (PSSB) demonstrated strong psychometric properties. The 19‑item, four‑factor structure showed excellent internal consistency, test‑retest reliability, and convergent/discriminant validity. The scale shows promise for use in similar urban and educated populations, pending further validation in rural, less educated, and low‑income groups.