Hindi translation and validation of Ultra Brief peripartum Mental Health Screening Tool (UBPMHST)

Abstract Background The peripartum period presents a critical window for identifying and addressing maternal mental health concerns. However, existing screening tools often face linguistic and cultural barriers when applied in diverse populations especially of LMIC’s. This study aimed to translate and validate an ultra brief, simple, binary-scoring, novel mental health screening tool into Hindi language, evaluating its psychometric properties and cultural relevance among Hindi-speaking women. The scale developed in 2019, includes symptoms of depressed mood, anxiety symptoms and suicidal ideation, which is possibly more feasible and acceptable for use by non-specialist health workers in busy, low-resource primary care settings. However, a Hindi translated, validated version of the scale is not yet available for use among Indian population. Methods As specified by the World Health organisation, the translation process involved forward and backward translations, expert panel reviews, and pilot testing to ensure linguistic equivalence and cultural appropriateness. Subsequently, the translated tool underwent psychometric validation, including exploratory factor analyses, assessment of internal consistency, concurrent validity against established measures like a widely used screening tool (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression rating scale) in the said population. The study recruited a diverse sample of 194 peripartum women seeking antenatal and postnatal care and treatment from a tertiary care healthcare setting, ensuring representation across socio-demographic variables. Results The findings of this study underscore the successful translation and validation of an ultra-brief peripartum mental health screening tool for common mental health disorders into Hindi language, demonstrating its reliability, validity, and clinical relevance among Hindi-speaking women. Through rigorous psychometric evaluation, the translated tool exhibited robust internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.80; P < 0.001), cross language concordance (ICC ≥ 0.7), test retest reliability (ICC = 0.952; P < 0.00), factor structure, content validity (CVI = 0.911), and concurrent validity (Pearson’s correlation coefficient 0.67 in ANC/ 0.71in PNC; P < 0.05), thus providing a valuable instrument for identifying peripartum mental health concerns within this population. Conclusion Findings elucidated the reliability, validity, and clinical utility of the translated screening tool in screening for peripartum common mental health disorders among Hindi-speaking women, thereby facilitating timely identification and support for maternal mental health concerns.