Maternal perception of infant's intersubjectivity: a questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Maternal-Infant Bonding

Background:

• Intersubjectivity is crucial in mother-infant relationships, influencing early development and attachment.
• Assessing maternal perception of infant intersubjectivity is vital for understanding this dynamic.
• Existing tools may not fully capture the nuances of maternal perception in this area.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and validate a questionnaire to assess maternal perception of infant intersubjectivity.
• To identify key factors contributing to maternal perception of infant intersubjectivity.
• To explore how infant characteristics (gestational age, age) relate to maternal perception.

Main Methods:

• Focus groups with mothers to generate questionnaire items.
• Principal Components Analysis (PCA) on data from 125 mothers.
• Reliability analysis (Cronbach's alpha) for identified factors.

Main Results:

• The Maternal Perception of Infant's Intersubjectivity Questionnaire (MPIIQ) was developed with 22 items across three factors: 'Interactive Competence', 'Emotional States', and 'Initiative'.
• The MPIIQ demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ranging from .647 to .817).
• Maternal perception of infant intersubjectivity was significantly influenced by infant's gestational age and chronological age, with mothers of preterm and younger infants reporting lower perception.

Conclusions:

• The MPIIQ is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring maternal perception of infant intersubjectivity.
• The questionnaire can differentiate varying levels of perceived infant intersubjective competence.
• Findings highlight the impact of prematurity and infant age on maternal perception, informing clinical and research applications.