Citation

Newman‐Morris V, Gray KM, Simpson K, Newman LK. Infant Ment. Health J. 2020; 41(1): 40-55.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/imhj.21826

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Distorted maternal representations (DMRs)--mother's ideas, understanding, and feelings about the infant--shape early interaction and the emerging relationship. Distorted interactions reportedly affect infant attachment and socioemotional development and may be associated with maternal early adversity and trauma. Limited measures are available that could be used as screening tools of DMRs. The aims of this study were to (a) describe the development of the Mother-Infant Relationship Scale (MIRS) and (b) to evaluate its psychometric properties. The development and validation of the MIRS closely followed standard guidelines for the development of psychometric tests. Psychometric properties were examined across two samples: 78 adult psychiatric patients with features of borderline personality and 86 individuals from a nonclinical sample (N = 164). The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α =.91) for the clinical sample and adequate internal consistency (.78) for the nonclinical sample, excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient =.81), and good concurrent validity with an observational (Pearson's correlation coefficients = −.35 to −.54) and a representational measure (.53). Factor analysis revealed three components: DMRs specific to (a) maternal hostility/rejection of the infant, (b) issues about parenting/attachment, and (c) anxiety/helplessness about infant care.

FINDINGS suggest that the MIRS is a reliable and valid screening tool of DMRs. Potential uses in clinical and research settings are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

assessment of parent–infant interaction; Beurteilung von Eltern-Kind-Interaktion; Beziehungsstörung; distorted maternal representations; evaluación de la interacción entre progenitor e infante; évaluation de l'interaction parent-nourrisson; herramienta de detección; infant mental health; outil de dépistage; perturbación de la relación; perturbation relationnelle; psychische Gesundheit von Säuglingen; relational disturbance; representaciones maternas distorsionadas; représentations maternelles déformées; salud mental infantil; santé mentale du nourrisson; screening tool; Screeninginstrument; verzerrte mütterliche Repräsentationen; أداة الفحص; اضطرابات العلاقة; تقييم التفاعل بين الوالدين والرضيع; تمثيلات الأمومة المشوهة; والصحة النفسية للرضع; スクリーニングツール; 乳幼児精神保健; 嬰兒心理健康。; 扭曲母親表徵; 歪んだ母親表象; 父母-嬰兒互動評估; 篩查工具; 親-乳幼児相互作用の評価; 関係性障害; 關係障礙