Validation study of the SCREENIVF: an instrument to screen women or men on risk for emotional maladjustment before the start of a fertility treatment

Abstract

Objective: To examine construct and criterion validity of the Dutch SCREENIVF among women and men undergoing a fertility treatment.

Design: A prospective longitudinal study nested in a randomized controlled trial.

Setting: University hospital.

Patient(s): Couples, 468 women and 383 men, undergoing an IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment in a fertility clinic, completed the SCREENIVF.

Main outcome measure(s): Construct and criteria validity of the SCREENIVF.

Result(s): The comparative fit index and root mean square error of approximation for women and men show a good fit of the factor model. Across time, the sensitivity for Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale subscale in women ranged from 61%-98%, specificity 53%-65%, predictive value of a positive test (PVP) 13%-56%, predictive value of a negative test (PVN) 70%-99%. The sensitivity scores for men ranged from 38%-100%, specificity 71%-75%, PVP 9%-27%, PVN 92%-100%. A prediction model revealed that for women 68.7% of the variance in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale on time 1 and 42.5% at time 2 and 38.9% at time 3 was explained by the predictors, the sum score scales of the SCREENIVF. For men, 58.1% of the variance in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale on time 1 and 46.5% at time 2 and 37.3% at time 3 was explained by the predictors, the sum score scales of the SCREENIVF.

Conclusion(s): The SCREENIVF has good construct validity but the concurrent validity is better than the predictive validity. SCREENIVF will be most effectively used in fertility clinics at the start of treatment and should not be used as a predictive tool.

Keywords: Screening; assisted reproductive techniques; infertility; psychology; validation studies.

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