Construct Validity Testing of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Paternal Needs Inventory.

Background: Although research is emerging about fathers' experiences in the neonatal intensive care unit, there is a scarcity of tools that measure their needs.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of a tool specifically designed to measure the physical, emotional, and psychological needs of fathers whose infants are in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Method: We administered the Neonatal Parental Needs Inventory to 210 fathers who currently had an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit. The Neonatal Parental Needs Inventory is a 42-item tool consisting of six subscales (information regarding baby's status; paternal social support; professional communication; paternal priorities; paternal support-who takes care of me; and paternal space and emotional needs) and uses a visual analog scale to measure fathers' physical, emotional, and psychological needs. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to determine overall model fit and Cronbach alpha was calculated for internal consistency.

Results: Cronbach alpha showed moderate to high internal consistency for all the subscales and the Neonatal Paternal Needs Inventory overall. Overall model fit was confirmed by root mean square error of approximation, comparative fit index and Tucker Lewis Index.

Discussion: The study established the construct validity of the Neonatal Paternal Needs Inventory that measures the physical, emotional, and psychological needs of neonatal intensive care unit fathers. The instrument could be used to assess fathers' needs and develop father-specific interventions. Further research is needed to see if fathers' needs change over time.