The short version of the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire: A cross-country psychometric study of mothers.

BACKGROUND

The Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) is widely used and considered a robust measure in terms of psychometric characteristics to assess difficulties in mother-infant bonding; however, the original 25-item version has yielded inconsistent factor solutions across studies and cultural contexts. Shorter versions may enhance feasibility for routine screening. Using multicountry data, the present study aimed to establish a short version of the PBQ that reflects the original structure and demonstrates adequate psychometric properties across countries.

METHODS

Data were collected from 1731 postpartum women across five European countries participating in the INTERSECT study. Participants completed the PBQ and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at 6-12 weeks postpartum, with a subsample reassessed at 26 weeks postpartum (n = 352). Item reduction and factor structure were examined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on split samples. Measurement invariance, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and associations with depressive symptoms were assessed.

RESULTS

Analyses supported a unidimensional 10-item PBQ version with good model fit (RMSEA= .072; CFI=.973, TLI=.965, SRMR=.052), internal consistency (McDonald's ω=.82), and test-retest reliability (ICC=.73). This version showed a strong correlation with the original PBQ and demonstrated configural, metric, and scalar measurement invariance across countries. The short version was moderately associated with depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings support a brief, reliable PBQ version for assessing maternal bonding difficulties and suggest that variability in prior factor structures reflects differences in item stability rather than the absence of a coherent underlying construct.