Abstract
Objective: The objectives of this study were to generate the factor structure of mothers' “attachment” and “caregiving” toward their children, and to examine the reliability and validity of measurement items created.
Methods: A three-factor structure, “adaptability,” “sensitivity,” and “intimacy,” was selected, and each was further defined by two categories based on “attachment” and “caregiving” factors, which generated six factors in total. Then, 244 items were developed to measure these factors based on the relevant literature along with the author's original items. These were narrowed down to 60 items according to the definitions of each factor as defined by “motherhood” and “midwifery” experts. Based on the results of a self-administered questionnaire survey involving 344 mothers with a 1-month-old or 18-month-old child, the validity and reliability of each item was examined to further narrow the selection.
Results: Results from item analysis and comparisons of Cronbach's alpha coefficient of various 30-item combinations yielded a selection with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.882. The exploratory factor analysis yielded a six-factor solution.
Conclusion: While the six factors found in this analysis did not perfectly match the anticipated ones, the items were divided into the attachment and caregiving factors as expected, which demonstrated good reliability and validity of the items.
