Development and initial reliability and validity of a new measure of distorted maternal representations: The Mother–Infant Relationship Scale

Abstract

Distorted Maternal Representations (DMRs) -mother's ideas, understanding, and feelings about the infant -shape early interaction and the emerging relationship. Distorted interactions reportedly affect infant attachment and socioemotional development and may be associated with maternal early adversity and trauma. Limited measures are available that could be used as screening tools of DMRs. The aims of this study were to (1) describe the development of the Mother-Infant Relationship Scale (MIRS) and (2) to evaluate its psychometric properties. The development and validation of the MIRS closely followed standard guidelines for the development of psychometric tests. Psychometric properties were examined across 2 samples: 78 adult psychiatric patients with features of borderline personality, and 86 individuals from a non-clinical sample (N=164). The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha .91) for clinical and adequate (.78) for non-clinical sample, excellent test-retest reliability (ICC .81), and good concurrent validity with an observational (Pearson's correlation coefficients ranging from -.35 to -.54) and a representational measure (.53). Factor analysis revealed 3 components: DMRs specific to (1) maternal hostility/rejection of the infant, (2) issues about parenting/attachment (3) anxiety/helplessness about infant care. Findings suggest the MIRS is a reliable and valid screening tool of DMRs. Potential uses in clinical and research settings are discussed.

Evaluation of early relational disturbance in high‐risk populations: Borderline personality disorder features, maternal mental state, and observed interaction

“…clinical symptoms), and disrupted interactions. A key attribute of this study is the use of a self-report measure, the MIRS (Newman-Morris et al, 2020), in conjunction with an interview measure of maternal mentalisation, the PDI (Aber et al, 1985;Slade et al, 2004), both of which tap into distorted representations. The findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and empirical implications.…”

“…Both services are linked to their respective communities via multiple referral pathways including maternal and child health services, child protection services, and self-referral. The data for the psychometrics study of the MIRS (Newman-Morris et al, 2020) were pooled from the same sample. Exclusion criteria for participation included active risk of suicide, infanticide, and history of psychotic symptoms.…”

“…Mother-Infant Relationship Scale (MIRS) is 19-item selfreport measure of DMRs (Newman-Morris et al, 2020…”

“…However, mechanisms of transmission of traumatogenic relational patterns in high‐risk populations remain under researched. In this study, we sought to examine whether the inclusion of a brief self‐report measure of distorted maternal representations (DMRs), the Mother Infant Relationship Scale (MIRS; Newman‐Morris, Gray, Simpson, & Newman, 2020), could elucidate mechanisms of relational disturbance in a high‐risk sample of women with features of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and their infants.…”

“…As such, they include traumatic meanings associated with being an infant and parent (Slade, 2005). DMRs are characterised by maternal hostility and rejection of the infant and the parental role, anxiety and helplessness in caregiving, and ambivalence about parenting and attachment (Newman‐Morris et al., 2020). DMRS are thought not to be easily accessible to conscious awareness; however, they impact on a woman's subjective experience of being a mother and negatively influence her perceptions of, and capacity for, sensitive caregiving (Lyons‐Ruth, Melnick, Patrick, & Hobson, 2007; Lyons‐Ruth, Yellin, Melnick, & Atwood, 2005; Slade, Grienenberger, Bernbach, Levy, & Locker, 2005; Solomon & George, 2006).…”