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Journal article
Development of a revised and abbreviated version of the postpartum bonding questionnaire (PBQ-R): First US validation and association to child outcomes
Infant mental health journal, v 47(1), e70052
Jan 2026
PMID: 41188205
Abstract
The postpartum bonding questionnaire (PBQ) is a maternal-reported 25-item measure of bonding, available in 15 languages, and widely used for clinical and research purposes in the United States (U.S.) and across the globe. Nonetheless, its putative 4-factor structure initially proposed in 2001 has never generalized or been replicated in other samples, nor has it been studied in U.S. populations. Using a U.S.-based sample of 610 English-speaking mothers who completed the PBQ 4 months postpartum-mean 32.51 +/- 5.25 years old and 47.5% first-time mothers-the initial goal of this study was to confirm the 4-factor/25-item structure of the PBQ. Aligned with other published studies, our confirmatory factor analysis did not support the 4-factor/25-item structure. We then used exploratory factor analysis which supported the creation of a 1-factor/14-item abbreviated measure, the PBQ-R. Unlike previous versions of the PBQ, the PBQ-R is scored so that higher scores indicate stronger bonding. The validity of the PBQ-R was supported by its high internal consistency in this sample (w = 0.89), and correlations with maternal depression (rho = -0.46) and child neurodevelopment (rho = 0.11 to rho = 22) and socio-emotional symptoms (rho = -0.22 to rho = -0.33). The new unidimensional shorter PBQ-R is suitable for use in the U.S. as a measure of general mother-infant bonding.
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- Title
- Development of a revised and abbreviated version of the postpartum bonding questionnaire (PBQ-R): First US validation and association to child outcomes
- Creators
- Andreane Lavallee - Columbia University Irving Medical CenterJennifer M. Warmingham - Columbia University Irving Medical CenterMark A. Reimers - Michigan State UniversityPaul Curtin - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiMargaret H. Kyle - Columbia University Irving Medical CenterJudy Austin - Columbia University Irving Medical CenterSeonjoo Lee - Columbia UniversityTyson Barker - East Carolina UniversityMaha Hussain - Columbia University Irving Medical CenterElena Arduin - Columbia University Irving Medical CenterImaal Ahmed - Columbia University Irving Medical CenterGinger Atwood - Columbia University Irving Medical CenterSharon Ettinger - Drexel University, Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology)Grace Smotrich - Columbia UniversityJ. Blake Turner - Columbia UniversityPrudence W. Fisher - Columbia Univ, Vagelos Coll Phys & Surg, Dept Psychiat, New York, NY USARachel Marsh - Columbia UniversityDani Dumitriu - Columbia University
- Publication Details
- Infant mental health journal, v 47(1), e70052
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Number of pages
- 16
- Grant note
- 201910MFE-430349-268206 / Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) R01MH126531 / National Institute of Mental Health; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Einhorn Collaborative Fonds de Recherche du Quebec en Sant P-6006251-2021 / W.K. Kellogg Foundation 75D30120C08150 / US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; United States Department of Health & Human Services; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - USA K99HD115784 / Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child and Human Development; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD) T32HP10260 / Health Resources and Services Administration; United States Department of Health & Human Services; United States Health Resources & Service Administration (HRSA)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001610321000001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105021319254
- Other Identifier
- 991022170559804721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Psychology, Developmental