Examining the Factorial Structure of the Maternal Separation Anxiety Scale in a Portuguese Sample.

Maryse Guedes,Nuno Torres,Lígia Monteiro,Manuela Veríssimo,António J Santos

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.571734

Abstract

The increase in women’s labor market participation emphasizes the importance of understanding maternal separation anxiety, that is, the unpleasant maternal emotional state, due to the actual or anticipated short-term separation from the child. Drawing on the insights of the attachment and psychoanalytic perspectives, the Maternal Separation Anxiety Scale (MSAS) was developed to overcome existing measurement gaps. However, prior research did not replicate its original three-factor structure in the contemporary context and in other cultural settings, using large samples composed of mothers of preschool children. This study aimed to examine the factorial structure of the MSAS in a sample of 597 Portuguese mothers of children aged 5–84 months who completed the questionnaire. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) conducted in subsample 1 revealed a four-factor structure: Maternal Negative Feelings, Beliefs about Exclusive Maternal Care, Need of Proximity, and Perceptions of Separation Benefits for Children. Confirmatory factor analyses conducted in subsample 2 revealed that the original three-factor structure revealed a poor fit, whereas the four-factor solution (obtained in the EFA) revealed an acceptable fit. As in previous studies, our findings report deviations from the original three-factor structure of the MSAS. Three of the newly identified factors seem to reflect specific sub-dimensions that originally guided item development in the MSAS, namely, maternal negative feelings, maternal attitudes about the value of exclusive maternal care, and the need of proximity with the child. The last factor appears to represent a refinement of original items pertaining to perceptions about separation effects for children.

Highlights

In the last decades, women’s participation in the labor market is an increasing trend in the majority of economically developed countries (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2011)
According to Hock et al (1989), maternal separation anxiety can be defined as an unpleasant emotional state, due to the actual or anticipated short-term separation from the child
Nine of the removed items pertained to the first original factor (Maternal Separation Anxiety) and focused on maternal concerns about the ability of the child to adapt to non-maternal care (e.g., “children will be afraid in a new place without their mother”) and the ability of non-maternal caregivers to answer child’s emotional and physical needs [e.g., “when I am away from my child, I often wonder if his/her physical needs are being met”]

Summary

Introduction

Women’s participation in the labor market is an increasing trend in the majority of economically developed countries (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2011). Due to these societal changes, there has been an increasing interest in the understanding of short-term mother–child separations (Robin, 2009). According to Hock et al (1989), maternal separation anxiety can be defined as an unpleasant emotional state, due to the actual or anticipated short-term separation from the child. Assessing maternal separation anxiety beyond infancy, using reliable and valid measures, is crucial to identify children who may be at increased risk of adverse developmental outcomes and to early intervene with them and their families

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Conclusion