Ludwig Robert J, Austin Judy, Woodward Lianne J, Adams Laura C, Jaffe Marc E, Myers Michael M, Welch Martha G
Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America; The Martha G Welch Center for Emotional Connection, New York, NY United States of America.
Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America; Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America.
Acta Psychol (Amst). 2025 Aug;258:105134. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105134. Epub 2025 Jul 8.
Emotional support from others plays a major role in a mother's ability to connect emotionally with her infant, particularly in the stressful context of preterm birth. Here, we document the development and validation of a novel assessment tool, the Mother's Socioemotional Support Circle (MSSC). The MSSC is a self-report instrument designed to assess the perceived availability and helpfulness of the mother's socioemotional support network. First reduced the number of items on the MSSC using methods based on item response theory and classical test theory. This analysis resulted in identifying 13 prospective core individuals in the mother's support circle. We then evaluated the reliability and construct and predictive validity of MSSC scores using data collected in the course of a clinical trial undertaken in a neonatal intensive care unit. We hypothesized that higher MSSC scores would be associated with lower levels of maternal anxiety and depression, and higher self-efficacy. Results showed that the MSSC had good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.84), construct validity, confirmed through significant inverse correlations with depressive symptoms (CES-D: r = -0.30, p < 0.05) and state anxiety (STAI: r = -0.31, p < 0.01). Higher MSSC scores at baseline were also predictive of fewer maternal symptoms of depression at 12 months (CES-D: r = -0.29, p < 0.05) and greater maternal self-efficacy (MSES: r = 0.34, p < 0.01). Our findings support the MSSC's utility as a short, clinically effective tool for proactively guiding maternal support efforts in the neonatal setting.
他人给予的情感支持对母亲与婴儿建立情感联系的能力起着重要作用，在早产这种压力较大的情况下尤其如此。在此，我们记录了一种新型评估工具——母亲社会情感支持圈（MSSC）的开发与验证过程。MSSC是一种自我报告工具，旨在评估母亲社会情感支持网络的可感知可用性和帮助程度。首先，运用基于项目反应理论和经典测试理论的方法减少了MSSC上的项目数量。该分析确定了母亲支持圈中的13位潜在核心人物。然后，我们使用在新生儿重症监护病房进行的一项临床试验过程中收集的数据，评估了MSSC分数的信度、结构效度和预测效度。我们假设MSSC分数越高，母亲的焦虑和抑郁水平越低，自我效能感越高。结果表明，MSSC具有良好的内部一致性（克朗巴哈α系数=0.84），通过与抑郁症状（CES-D：r=-0.30，p<0.05）和状态焦虑（STAI：r=-0.31，p<0.01）的显著负相关证实了其结构效度。基线时较高的MSSC分数还可预测12个月时母亲抑郁症状较少（CES-D：r=-0.29，p<0.05）以及母亲自我效能感更强（MSES：r=0.34，p<0.01）。我们的研究结果支持了MSSC作为一种简短、临床有效的工具在新生儿环境中主动指导母亲支持工作的效用。
