PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING FOR PRIMARY CARE PROFESSIONALS: EVIDENCE OF VALIDITY

ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate evidence of content and semantic validity of a training program in the mental health of pregnant and postpartum women for primary health care professionals. Method: methodological study of content and semantic validation, based on Pasquali’s theoretical framework, conducted between September 2023 and February 2024. The content was evaluated by eight judges regarding objectives, structure, presentation, and relevance. For semantic validation, 32 health professionals from three Primary Health Care Units in Brasília, Brazil, participated. The training lasted two and a half hours. It took place in three stages - Introduction to perinatal mental health; Presentation and discussion of clinical cases; and Training evaluation. Materials on mental health services and the rights of pregnant and postpartum women were also provided. The professionals analyzed relevance, language, physical structure, teaching resources, clinical cases studied, workload, and achievement of objectives. For data analysis, the content validity index was applied, and participants’ suggestions were considered. Results: in the content analysis, a global content validity index of 0.96 was obtained, and adjustments were made to the structure according to the judges’ suggestions. In the semantic validation, the validity index was 0.87, highlighting the relevance of the theme and suggesting an extension of the training duration. Conclusion: the training presented satisfactory evidence of content and semantic validity and may be used in continuing education programs on perinatal mental health for primary health care professionals.