Validation of a short version of the maternal behavior Q-set applied to a brief video record of mother-infant interaction.

Abstract A 25 item version of the maternal behavior Q-set (MBQS) was validated with 40 adolescent mother–infant dyads. Observations were made from 10 min play interactions when infants were 10 months old. Results show that the short MBQS is reliable ( r i  = .94), is related to assessments using the full MBQS at 6 months ( r  = .35), to cognitive development at 10 and 15 months ( r  = .48), and attachment security at 15 months ( r  = .34), indicating appropriate psychometric characteristics.