# Psychometric Validation of the Mother–Infant Bonding Scale in Greek Mothers up to 1 Year Postpartum

## TL;DR

This study validated a Greek version of a scale to measure mother-infant bonding up to one year after childbirth.

## Contribution

The study provides a culturally adapted and validated version of the Mother–to-Infant Bonding Scale for Greek mothers.

## Key findings

- The MIBS showed a unidimensional structure after removing the 'protective' item.
- The MIBS demonstrated good reliability and convergent validity with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.
- The MIBS is a reliable tool for identifying bonding difficulties in Greek mothers postpartum.

## Abstract

Research suggests that the quality of mother–infant bonding (MIB) is a critical factor for long-term infant development. This study aimed to culturally adapt and psychometrically validate the Mother–to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS) for use among Greek mothers. Methods: A total of 750 mothers (Mage = 33.6 ± 4.6) with infants aged 0–12 months completed the MIBS and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. The sample was randomly split to conduct exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA/CFA). Results: Analyses supported a unidimensional structure after removal of the ‘protective’ item. The MIBS demonstrated good reliability and convergent validity against the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Discussion: MIBS is a reliable and valid tool to assess bonding in a general population of Greek mothers up to one year postpartum. Future studies should examine the structure of MIBS in different timepoints during the postpartum period. The MIBS appears to be a reliable screening instrument for early identification of bonding difficulties.