Developing a Scale for the Psychometric Evaluation of Early Period Mother-Infant Attachment Indicators

The behavior of the mother toward her baby in the mother-baby encounter after the birth provides important clues about the bonding process between the mother and the baby in the later period. Therefore, it is important for the nurse responsible for the care of the newborn to carefully observe the mother's behavior to identify the emotional bond between the mother and the baby.Therefore, there is a need for a measurement tool to be developed to be used in the evaluation of early mother-infant attachment, which covers the postnatal period. This scale can enable healthcare professionals to quickly and easily evaluate mother-infant attachment behavior in the early postnatal period. Thus, it can contribute to the early identification of negative attachment behavior that may develop in the future and allow nurses to provide the necessary support. The purpose of this study is to develop The Scale for Evaluating Early Mother-Baby Attachment Indicators and to examine its validity and reliability.

Design and Method Aim This study aims to develop a tool to measure Early Mother-Infant Attachment Indicators and test them psychometrically.

Study Design This is a cross-sectional, methodological, descriptive, and correlational study.

Methodology The development of The Scale for Evaluating Early Mother-Baby Attachment Indicators, the design of the scale, and the phases in its validity are shown in Figure 1. These items include: (1) the preparation and scoping phase; (2) the development of the questionnaire items and rating scale; (3) the content validity; and (4) the pilot study (psychometric evaluation).

Sample/Participants This study will carried out in the XXXX Training and Research Hospital Maternity Service-Infant Team between june and july of 2021. Participants will selected by the random sampling method. The literature states that the number of samples should be at least five times the number of scale items-ideally 10 times the number of items when developing a scale. The number of items in the scale is 13. Accordingly, the study for analysis was planned to consist of 130 mothers. The inclusion criteria were as follows: the participants had to be over 18 years old, had to have volunteered to participate in the study, had to have no health problems related to the newborn, and had to be the mother or the primary care provider.