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Development of a Tool for the Measurement of Maternal Attachment During Pregnancy
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1981
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Family MedicineQuality Of LifeReproductive HealthMfa ScaleGynecologyMaternity ServicePsychologyPrenatal CarePublic HealthRespectful Maternity Care24-Item ScaleMaternal ComplicationAvailable Social SupportMaternal HealthMaternal-fetal MedicineAttachment TheoryChild DevelopmentNursingPregnancyMedicineMaternal Attachment
The study indicates that further refinement of the maternal‑fetal attachment scale is needed. A 24‑item, five‑subscale scale was developed and tested on 71 third‑trimester pregnant women, with content validity incorporated. The scale showed good reliability (α = .85; subscales .52–.73) and its scores were positively associated with social support and infant perception, and negatively associated with perceived stress.
A 24-item scale with five subscales was developed to measure the construct of maternal-fetal attachment during pregnancy and tested on 71 subjects in the third trimester of pregnancy. Content validity was built into the scale. A coefficient of reliability of .85 was demonstrated for the scale with the reliability of the subscales ranging from .52 to .73. Scores of the MFA scale were positively correlated with the amount of available social support reported by women and with their perceptions of babies three days after birth. There was a negative association between MFA scores and the amount of stress perceived by the women. Further refinement of the scale is indicated.