Turkish adaptation of the maternal ambivalence scale and effects of demographic-obstetric variables and depression

The aim of this study was to adapt the Maternal Ambivalence Scale (MAS) into Turkish and to examine its psychometric properties, as well as its associations with selected demographic-obstetric variables and depressive symptoms. This methodological and cross-sectional study was conducted between April and August 2023 with 600 women, including 300 pregnant and 300 postpartum participants. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the original three-factor structure of the scale. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated acceptable model fit (χ 2 /df = 2.38, CFI = 0.97, RMSEA = 0.048), and reliability analyses indicated acceptable internal consistency. Maternal ambivalence was significantly associated with variables such as number of siblings, planned pregnancy status, family planning method, perceived social support, and depressive symptoms. The findings demonstrated that the Turkish version of the Maternal Ambivalence Scale has acceptable validity and reliability for assessing maternal ambivalence among both pregnant and postpartum women.