NICHD SECCYD—Wisconsin
CHILDBIRTH NARRATIVE Reference Oppenheim, D., Wamboldt, F. S., Gavin, L. A., Renouf, A. G., & Emde, R. N. (1996). Couples’ co-construction of the story of their child’s birth: Associations with marital adaptation. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 6(1), 1-21. Companion Documents Childbirth Narrative Administration Instructions Childbirth Narrative Rating Scales Description In the childbirth narrative procedure, parents are asked to describe the birth of their child. This 5minute procedure is videotaped for later coding using 5-point qualitative scales (where 1 is the low end of the scale and 5 is the high end). Ratings are made of seven features of the narrative: coherence, resolution, vividness, range of emotions, narrative representation of baby, valence of representation of baby, and communication about internal states and processes. Oppenheim et al. (1996) reported good interrater reliability for the childbirth narrative coding (intraclass correlation = .86) and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for two summary scores (Emotional Coherence = .88, Emotional Expressivity = .84). Both the Emotional Coherence and Emotional Expressivity scores were associated positively with marital satisfaction; Emotional Coherence was associated negatively with paternal psychological distress. Administration: Grade 1 The narrative procedure was administered to mothers and fathers/partners during a site-specific home visit in Grade 1 (n = 73). In cases where the partner was not the study child’s father and the mother and partner had a child together, the birth of the latter child was described. For mothers and nonpaternal partners who did not have a child together, the couple was asked to describe their wedding day or first date (n = 2; IDs 910176 & 910463). Scoring: Oppenheim et al. (1996) The videotaped narratives were rated separately by two staff members who then agreed on a set of consensus ratings (see appended coding form). Coherence Higher scores indicate that the couple constructed a coherent, personal, rich story that included emotion and personal meaning. CNG1COH N = 73, M = 3.41, SD = 0.93, range = 1-5 Resolution Higher scores indicate that the couple presented the child’s birth with good perspective, and that they have come to grips with the difficult moments and were open about all aspects of the birth experience. CNG1RES N = 73, M = 3.92, SD = 0.70, range = 2-5 1 of 5
NICHD SECCYD—Wisconsin
Vividness Higher scores indicate that the narrative was detailed and made it easy to picture the situation described. CNG1VIV N = 73, M = 3.10, SD = 0.73, range = 2-5 Range of Emotions Higher scores indicate that the narrative included a wide range of richly described, welldifferentiated emotions that had personal meaning. CNG1EMOT N = 73, M = 2.88, SD = 0.91, range = 1-5 Narrative Representation of Baby Higher scores indicate that the baby was described in a personal way and with much detail. CNG1NRB N = 71, M = 3.39, SD = 1.01, range = 1-5 Valence of Representation of Baby Higher scores indicate that the baby was described more positively. CNG1VRB N = 71, M = 3.28, SD = 0.59, range = 2-5 Communication about Internal States and Processes Higher scores indicate good communication about internal processes, and that the couple articulated well about their internal worlds and feelings. CNG1ISP N = 73, M = 3.12, SD = 0.76, range = 2-5 Emotional Coherence (summary score) Mean of Emotional Coherence and Resolution scales. CNG1ECOH N = 73, M = 3.66, SD = 0.73, range = 1.50-5, α = .74 Emotional Expressivity (summary score) Mean of Vividness, Range of Emotions, and Communication about Internal States and Processes scales. CNG1EEXP N = 73, M = 3.03, SD = 0.69, range = 1.67-4.33, α = .81 Interrater Reliability Interrater reliability was determined from the separate ratings of the childbirth narratives by two raters. Cohen’s kappa coefficients with linear weighting, and intraclass correlations, were computed for the seven scales.
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NICHD SECCYD—Wisconsin
Kappa
Intraclass r
Coherence
.78
.88
Resolution
.69
.79
Vividness
.67
.74
Range of emotions
.69
.79
Narrative representation of baby
.82
.90
Valence of representation of baby
.92
.94
Communication about internal states & processes
.82
.88
Analysis Data Set SSG1 Raw Data Sets Consensus ratings: BIRTH1 Individual ratings: BIRTH1R
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NICHD SECCYD—Wisconsin
RATING SCALE FOR BIRTH NARRATIVES: INDIVIDUAL CODES ID #: ________________ INTERVIEWER RA # ____
CODER RA #: ______
LENGTH OF INTERVIEW: ____________ # of interviewer prompts given: _________________ Scale:
Couple Code:
Comments:
EMOTIONAL COHERENCE
RESOLUTION*
VIVIDNESS
RANGE OF EMOTIONS IN STORY
NARRATIVE REPRESENTATION OF BABY
VALENCE OF REPRESENTATION OF BABY (9 = missing) COMMUNICATION ABOUT INTERNAL STATES AND PROCESSES
* LIST NEGATIVE EPISODES: NEGATIVE EPISODE
RESOLVED DURING NARRATIVE?
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NICHD SECCYD—Wisconsin
RATING SCALE FOR BIRTH NARRATIVES: CONSENSUS CODES ID #: ________________ LENGTH OF INTERVIEW: ____________ # of interviewer prompts given: _________________ Scale:
Couple Code:
Comments:
EMOTIONAL COHERENCE
RESOLUTION*
VIVIDNESS
RANGE OF EMOTIONS IN STORY
NARRATIVE REPRESENTATION OF BABY
VALENCE OF REPRESENTATION OF BABY (9 = missing) COMMUNICATION ABOUT INTERNAL STATES AND PROCESSES
* LIST NEGATIVE EPISODES: NEGATIVE EPISODE
RESOLVED DURING NARRATIVE?
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