Factor analysis of the Maternal Fetal Attachment Scale

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Maternal-Fetal Medicine
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Prenatal attachment is crucial for maternal and infant well-being.
• The Maternal Fetal Attachment Scale (MFAS) is a widely used instrument to measure this construct.
• The MFAS comprises five subscales theorized to represent distinct dimensions of prenatal attachment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric validity of the Maternal Fetal Attachment Scale (MFAS) subscales.
• To determine if the MFAS subscales accurately reflect the intended dimensions of maternal-fetal attachment.
• To assess the construct validity of the MFAS through factor analysis.

Main Methods:

• Principal axis factoring with varimax rotation was applied to two independent samples of MFAS scores.
• The factor structures derived from the analysis were compared to the existing MFAS subscale structure.
• Statistical analysis was employed to examine the underlying dimensions captured by the MFAS items.

Main Results:

• The factor analysis solutions did not align with the predefined five subscales of the MFAS.
• The factor structures obtained from the two samples were inconsistent with each other.
• These findings suggest a lack of empirical support for the MFAS subscale structure.

Conclusions:

• The current construction of the Maternal Fetal Attachment Scale (MFAS) subscales is problematic and lacks validity.
• The use of MFAS subscales in research and clinical practice may yield inaccurate or misleading results.
• Further psychometric evaluation and potential revision of the MFAS are recommended to ensure reliable measurement of maternal-fetal attachment.