Further validation of the 18-item Portuguese CompACT scale using a multi-sample design: Confirmatory factor analysis and correlates of psychological flexibility

Mother-infant bonding in the first nine months postpartum: the role of mother's attachment style and psychological flexibility

INTRODUCTION

Mother's bond to the infant in the postpartum period plays an important role in the subsequent mother-infant relationship and the infant's socio-emotional functioning. Several maternal characteristics, such as attachment style and psychological flexibility, may contribute to the quality of mother-infant bonding, though literature examining these variables is still scarce. The present study aimed to examine the impact of mother's attachment on mother-infant bonding in the first month postpartum and the mediating role of psychological flexibility on that association.

METHODS

Participants were 226 mothers of an infant up to 9 months old, who reported on their own attachment style (in terms of anxiety, comfort with proximity, trust in others), psychological flexibility (in terms of openness to experience, behavioural awareness, valued action) and mother-infant bonding.

RESULTS

Results showed that mother's attachment anxiety predicted a bond with the infant directly and indirectly via mother's psychological flexibility, specifically through behavioural awareness and valued action. Trust in others had an impact on mother-infant bonding through behavioural awareness, whereas comfort with proximity influenced mother-infant bond indirectly, via valued action. Finally, mothers' civil status, schooling and number of children were relevant to better understand the variance of our mediating and dependent variables.

DISCUSSION

Our findings highlight the importance of mother's attachment and psychological flexibility in promoting the quality of mother-infant bonding, which can inform future intervention programmes targeting modifiable factors, such as psychological flexibility, to promote early positive parent-infant relationships, particularly for single, first-time mothers, with higher levels of education.

A Preliminary Investigation into the Factor Structure of Two Psychological Flexibility Measures in a Sample of Community-Dwelling Older Adults

OBJECTIVES

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) targets psychological flexibility and the ability to identify behavioral function in context. Properly measuring these constructs is imperative to understanding whether these processes are mechanisms of change in treatment. The current study examined the factor structure of the Comprehensive Assessment of ACT processes (CompACT) and Tacting of Function scale (TOF) in community-dwelling older adults.

METHODS

Factor structure was examined with CFA. Eighty community-dwelling older adults completed questionnaires prior to an intervention.

RESULTS

While the original 23-item, 3-factor structure of the CompACT demonstrated inadequate fit, a modified 15-item, 3-factor structure demonstrated adequate fit. The original 1-factor structure of the TOF demonstrated inadequate fit. A modified 2-factor structure of the TOF fit significantly better than the original 1-factor structure; however, this model also demonstrated inadequate fit.

CONCLUSIONS

Examining the factor structure of the CompACT and TOF in an older adult sample contributes to the field's understanding of the constructs of psychological flexibility and tacting ability and to the clinical utility of these measures in an understudied sample.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

These findings provide preliminary support for the use of a short-form version of the CompACT to measure therapeutic processes of change in community-dwelling older adults.