Table 2.
Exploratory factor analysis of the belief items - initial rotated factor solution (n = 151)
| Factor | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Item (n = 36) | Discomfort | Capacity | Effectiveness | Role | Trust | Knowledge |
| Asking pregnant women about whether they have consumed alcohol during pregnancy can make them feel uncomfortable | .780 | |||||
| Will cause anxiety and guilt among women who have consumed alcohol during pregnancy | .769 | -.122 | -.106 | |||
| Pregnant women don’t like to be asked about whether they have consumed alcohol during pregnancy | .721 | -.104 | ||||
| Will lead to some women feeling judged | .710 | .183 | .199 | -.163 | -.144 | |
| Will distress or anger pregnant women | .690 | .163 | -.101 | |||
| Could make women fear losing custody of their child | .627 | -.142 | ||||
| Asking pregnant women whether they have consumed alcohol during pregnancy could appear judgemental | .561 | .325 | ||||
| I don’t like asking pregnant women to describe their behaviours which may have harmed their child | .547 | .224 | ||||
| Will threaten my relationship with pregnant women | .521 | .234 | .160 | |||
| I have doubts about whether I am doing the right thing when pregnant women who have only consumed small amounts of alcohol experience guilt after discussing their alcohol consumption | .470 | .241 | .151 | |||
| Will uncover complex problems that are difficult for us to address as midwives | .428 | -.229 | ||||
| Offers little real benefit for women who are not in high risk groups | .298 | -.130 | .225 | .149 | ||
| Women who have consumed alcohol during pregnancy will consider terminating their pregnancy if asked about their alcohol consumption | .206 | .148 | .113 | .170 | ||
| When I discuss the effects on the fetus and child of alcohol consumption during pregnancy I know what to say (R) | .935 | -.136 | ||||
| I have sufficient referral resources to adequately address alcohol use problems once identified (R) | -.106 | .723 | .167 | -.199 | ||
| I have a good understanding of the evidence for the recommendation of no alcohol in pregnancy (R) | .599 | .284 | -.144 | |||
| I always know what to say when I ask pregnant women about whether they have consumed alcohol during pregnancy (R) | .484 | -.154 | .203 | .270 | ||
| I know exactly what I need to do to ask pregnant women about whether they have consumed alcohol during pregnancy (R) | .430 | .216 | .125 | .159 | ||
| Improves women’s awareness of the importance of not consuming alcohol during pregnancy (R) | -.114 | .698 | -.180 | .109 | ||
| Will identify women who need support to stop consuming alcohol during pregnancy (R) | .688 | |||||
| Is necessary for me to provide appropriate advice and support (R) | .635 | |||||
| Will enable changes in behaviour and improved health outcomes for the mother and child (R) | .606 | .184 | ||||
| Brief intervention (assessment, feedback, counselling and referral to a specialist if necessary) to decrease alcohol exposure in pregnancy is effective (R) | .262 | .492 | ||||
| Will make it easier to diagnose or exclude alcohol related problems in the child (R) | .127 | .318 | .191 | -.167 | ||
| Documentation of any amount of alcohol exposure in pregnancy is important (R) | -.111 | .987 | ||||
| Identifying all women who drink any amount of alcohol during pregnancy is good practice (R) | .731 | |||||
| Identifying all women who drink alcohol during pregnancy can help to improve health outcomes (R) | .177 | .165 | .510 | -.224 | .124 | |
| I don’t have sufficient time to ask every pregnant woman about whether they have consumed alcohol during pregnancy | .115 | -.267 | .490 | .206 | ||
| I am uncomfortable asking pregnant women about their alcohol consumption before establishing a relationship of trust with them | -.151 | .207 | -.101 | .800 | ||
| I am uncomfortable asking pregnant women about their alcohol consumption when it is the first time I have met them | .600 | |||||
| I am uncomfortable asking pregnant women about their alcohol consumption as I may have a responsibility to notify the Department of | .243 | -.126 | .551 | |||
| Child Protection | ||||||
| When I feel short of time I am less likely to ask pregnant women about whether they have consumed alcohol during pregnancy | .386 | -.201 | ||||
| It is difficult to ask pregnant women about alcohol consumption during pregnancy without good knowledge of the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy on the fetus and child | -.242 | .379 | ||||
| I have the required skills to ask every pregnant woman about whether they have consumed alcohol during pregnancy (R) | .345 | .126 | .353 | |||
| Most pregnant women already have good knowledge about alcohol consumption in pregnancy | -.121 | .920 | ||||
| Most pregnant women know not to drink alcohol during pregnancy | .766 | |||||
(R) Scoring reversed for positively worded items
Loadings ≥ 0.4 are presented in bold
Loadings < 0.1 not shown