Assessing Dysfunctional Beliefs About Motherhood Across Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: Italian Validation of the Attitudes Toward Motherhood Scale (AToM) in First-Time Mothers

Dysfunctional beliefs about motherhood may affect psychological adjustment during the transition to motherhood. This study examined the factor structure, measurement invariance, internal consistency, and construct validity of the Italian version of the 12-item Attitudes Toward Motherhood Scale (AToM) among first-time mothers. Participants were 860 Italian women, including 420 pregnant and 440 postpartum women. The sample was randomly split into a development sample (N = 430) and a validation sample (N = 430). Confirmatory factor analyses tested and cross-validated the factor structure, and multiple-group CFA examined invariance across pregnancy and postpartum. Internal consistency and construct validity were assessed separately in the two groups. The hypothesized three-factor model showed poor fit. A revised model, with Item 8 reassigned to Beliefs Related to Maternal Role Idealization, Item 12 to Beliefs Related to Maternal Responsibility, and Item 4 cross-loading on Beliefs Related to Others’ Judgments and Beliefs Related to Maternal Responsibility, showed acceptable fit in both samples. Partial metric and partial scalar invariance were supported. Omega coefficients ranged from .71 to .87. Construct validity was supported by consistent associations with motivation, basic psychological needs, stress, depression, social support, anxiety, and maternal postpartum attachment. The Italian AToM showed acceptable psychometric properties across pregnancy and postpartum, although noninvariant parameters should be considered when comparing group scores.