Understanding Maternal Ambivalence Across Cultures: Psychometric Validation of the Maternal Ambivalence Scale in Colombia and Comparison With Spain

Background: Maternal ambivalence, defined as the coexistence of conflicting feelings toward motherhood, is a culturally embedded experience closely linked to perinatal mental health. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Maternal Ambivalence Scale (MAS) in Colombian women and compared maternal ambivalence and psychological adjustment between Colombian and Spanish perinatal samples. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey included 456 Colombian women (mean [M] = 27.5, standard deviation [SD] = 6.1; range = 18–48 years; 296 pregnant, 160 postpartum). Participants completed the MAS, the Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS), the Overall Depression Severity and Impairment Scale (ODSIS), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in R (lavaan, semTools) tested the three-factor model (Doubts, Rejection, Suppression) with robust maximum likelihood estimation (MLR). Measurement invariance was evaluated across the perinatal stage and country. Nonparametric analyses (Spearman’s ρ, Mann-Whitney U) were performed in SPSS v27.0. Results: The MAS showed excellent fit, χ2(74) = 143.71, p < 0.001; comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.968; Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) = 0.960; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.050, 90% confidence interval (CI) [0.037, 0.062]; α = 0.80–0.84. Measurement invariance across the perinatal stage was supported (configural, metric, scalar), and partial scalar invariance was achieved across countries. Higher Doubts and Rejection were correlated with depression (ρ = 0.50, 0.40), anxiety (ρ = 0.42, 0.28), and lower life satisfaction (ρ = –0.48, –0.56; all p < 0.001). Colombian women reported higher ambivalence and poorer well-being than Spanish women. Conclusions: The MAS demonstrated strong reliability, validity, and cross-cultural relevance, supporting its use in culturally sensitive perinatal mental health assessment.