A Questionnaire to Measure Mother-to-Infant Attachment

Abstract

The Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI) was developed and tested to provide a practical measure of maternal affectionate attachment. MAI items were identified from the literature, and their construct validity was assessed by experts who numerically rated them for relevance. The MAI, two other indicators of maternal attachment, and a measure of maternal adjustment were completed by 196 women approximately 1 month after the birth of their infants. Two subgroups of women completed the research instruments when their infants were 4 (Group A) or 8 (Group B) months old. The MAI demonstrated evidence of validity through significant correlations with other indicators of maternal attachment (the How I Feel About the Baby Now Scale and the Maternal Separation Anxiety Scale) at all time points and a correlation with maternal adjustment as measured by the Maternal Attitudes and Maternal Adjustment Scale. The MAI also demonstrated evidence of acceptable internal consistency reliability at all three time points.