Objective: To examine the psychometric properties of the Maternal and Paternal Attachment Scales (MAAS/PAAS) in a Polish sample of expectant couples.
Background: A parental prenatal bond is important for the psychological and health outcomes of children and parents. The MAAS/PAAS is one of the well-established measures for parental prenatal bonding. However, there is a lack of Polish investigations of the factor structure and construct validity of these scales.
Methods: The sample consisted of 341 Polish expectant couples who were surveyed about their prenatal bond, closeness with their unborn child, relationship satisfaction, and gender-role attitudes towards parenthood. The reliability and construct validity of the MAAS/PAAS were evaluated. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and a Principal Axis Factoring (PAF) were conducted.
Results: The obtained results did not confirm the original factor structures of the MAAS/PAAS. However, in the proposed single 11-item version for the MAAS/PAAS, two factors equivalent to the original structure were extracted. The scale reliability for the brief MAAS/PAAS version was good. The construct validity was confirmed.
Conclusion: The single Polish brief version for the MAAS/PAAS is a reliable and valid measure to use in Polish context. The obtained results support the importance of couple functioning for the MAAS/PAAS.
Keywords: Pregnancy; attachment; father/s; mother/s; prenatal bonds.