Psychometric properties of 13-item versions of the maternal and paternal antenatal attachment scales in German

Abstract

Objective: To assess scale reliability and factorial validity of the Maternal and Paternal Antenatal Attachment Scale in a German sample.

Background: Prenatal bonding to the child is an important aspect for parents and has been associated with the early parent-child relationship. The maternal and paternal versions of the Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS/PAAS) with the dimensions bonding quality and intensity are among the best-established questionnaires for parental-fetal bonding. However, a German translation of the PAAS and investigations of the factor structure of both MAAS and PAAS are still lacking.

Method: 263 women and 128 men from Hamburg, Germany, were assessed during pregnancy (total sample N = 391).

Results: Factor analyses did not support the original factor structures of both scales. Still, two factors equivalent to the original quality and intensity dimensions were identified. Scale reliability for the extracted factors was satisfying to good for both instruments.

Conclusion: The revised 13-item versions for MAAS and PAAS are proposed as reliable and valuable measurements of parental-foetal bonding. The scales contribute to the cross-cultural comparison of research on maternal and paternal-foetal bonding. Identifying parents with bonding difficulties already prenatally can enable specific forms of support addressing the parent-child-relationship in the peripartum period.

Abbreviations: Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS). Paternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (PAAS). confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Root Mean Squared Error of Approximation (RMSEA). Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR). Comparative Fit Index (CFI). Tucker Lewis Index (TLI). principal axis factoring (PAF). mean (M). standard deviation (SD). standard error (SE). item difficulty (Pi). Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value (KMO).

Keywords: Maternal antenatal attachment scale; factor analysis; parental-foetal bonding; paternal antenatal attachment scale; prenatal bonding; psychometric properties.