Exploring the psychometric qualities of prenatal attachment inventory in France

The aim of the study was to explore the structure of the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI) on a French sample of pregnant women.

Three hundred and nine pregnant women were recruited in gynecology-obstetrics departments and on social networks. To be included, women had to be pregnant, aged between 18 and 45 years old, and not have somatic complications of pregnancy. The women completed a questionnaire including questions on sociodemographic information, and the PAI. The structure of PAI was explored with an exploratory structural equation model (ESEM).

Three factorial solutions were explored: two-, three- and four-factor. The 2-factor solution was excluded due to its CFI, TLI and RMSEA indexes, which were lower than the reference values. The choice between the 3- and 4-factor solutions was made according to the clinical meaning of the items included in the factors. The 3-factor solution was retained with the factors: "current and future representations of the baby", "maternal-fetal relationship", and "proprioceptive feeling". The scale had good internal consistency.

The PAI is the first standardized multidimensional assessment tool for maternal-fetal attachment in the French language. In view of the results obtained, this tool can be disseminated and used by professionals in perinatal care.