Research paperDevelopment and properties of a brief scale to assess intimate partner relationship in the postnatal period

•A brief Partner Interactions after Baby Scale (PIBS) was developed.•The PIBS assesses specific, potentially modifiable partner behaviours.•Reliability and criterion validity of the PIBS were confirmed.•This may be a useful tool to assess partner relationship in targeted interventions.

BackgroundPoor quality intimate partner relationship is associated with postnatal depression and anxiety among women. Existing scales assessing the quality of this relationship are long and measure stable aspects of the relationship rather than specific behaviours which may respond to targeted interventions. The aim was to develop and investigate the properties of a brief, life stage-specific scale to assess potentially modifiable partner behaviours in the postpartum period.MethodsParticipants were primiparous women from diverse geographical and socio-economic backgrounds in Victoria, Australia. Seven study-specific items were developed to assess potentially modifiable aspects of the intimate partner relationship at 6 months postpartum. Women's mental health was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and the Patient Health Questionnaire depression and generalised anxiety modules. Factor analysis was conducted on the 7 items, and associations calculated between factor scores. Factor scores were compared for women with and without mental health problems. Mean inter-item correlations were computed to assess internal consistency.ResultsFactor analysis on data from 355 women revealed two factors with good internal consistency: Caring Partner Behaviours and Emotionally Abusive Partner Behaviours. Having mental health problems was associated with lower Caring Partner Behaviours and higher Emotionally Abusive Partner Behaviours scores.LimitationsInteraction between partners was not observed; thus external criterion validity was not assessed.ConclusionThis brief scale is a promising means of assessing potentially modifiable aspects of the intimate partner relationship in the postnatal period.