Development and psychometric properties of the Maternal Ambivalence Scale in Spanish women

Background: maternal ambivalence, which refers to experiencing mixed emotions about motherhood, like happiness and sadness, is frequent during the perinatal period. Aim: Due to the relevance of this topic and the lack of psychometrically-sound instruments to measure it, this study aims to develop and test a measure of maternal ambivalence called Maternal Ambivalence Scale (MAS). Methods: : participants were 1424 Spanish women who were either pregnant (33%) or recent mothers of children under 2 years (67%). They responded to the MAS and measures of anxiety and depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Analyses included exploratory and confirmatory factor solutions for the MAS, as well as bivariate correlations to investigate sources of validity evidence. Comparisons between pregnant and postpartum women were also examined. Results: : a three-factor solution (Doubts, Rejection, and Suppression) for the MAS showed a good model fit both in exploratory (Chi-square=274.6, p<.001, RMSEA=0.059, RMSEA 95% CI=[0.052, 0.066], CFI=0.985, TLI=0.974) and confirmatory analyses (Chi-square=428.0, p<.001, RMSEA=0.062, RMSEA 95% CI=[0.056, 0.068], CFI=0.977, TLI=0.971). Doubts, Rejection, and Suppression were associated with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as lower life satisfaction (all p <.001). Pregnant women presented greater Rejection (t=2.09, p=.037, 95% CI=[-0.58, -0.02]) and less Suppression (t=- 3.08, p=.002, 95% CI=[0.17, 0.77]) than mothers. Conclusions: : the MAS might be a useful instrument to explore several components of maternal ambivalence, that is the presence of doubts and rejection about maternity, as well as coping styles used to deal with ambivalence. The scale might be useful for clinicians and researchers interested in maternal mental health.