Table 2

Items on the ‘Mother–infant relationship’ section within the Stafford Interview


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Items on the Stafford InterviewEvidence for the rating of the current caseCode*
(1) Infant characteristics and maternal involvement in care
No.158Baby’s temperamentThe baby cried a lot at night, but somehow could be pacified2
No.159Other problems with babyConstipation: It distressed the mother to stimulate her baby’s anus using a cotton swab1
No.160Infant developmentNormal1
No.161Mother’s involvement in infant careOften transferred the care of the baby to her mother at night2
No.162Mother’s emotional over-involvement in infant careNo emotional over-involvement0
No.163Quality of emotional involvement (play and cuddling)No enjoyment from her baby until 5 months postnatally3
(2) Mother’s emotional response to her infant
No.164Timing of positive feelings for the baby5 months postnatally20 weeks
No.165Feeling of estrangementJust after delivery, felt the baby was not her own1
No.166Nature and strength of feelings for infant (historic)Anger and rejection4
No.167Nature and strength of feelings for infant (present)Ambivalent (both positive and negative feelings)2
No.168Ideas of transferring care or escaping from maternal dutiesTemporary transfer had already taken place4
No.169Fantasies of infant lossNo such ideas0
(3) Anger and abuse
No.170Angry response to infantScreamed at the baby and stamped her foot besides the baby’s bed several times4
No.171Frequency of maternal angerMost of the time3
No.172Coping with maternal angerLeave the baby crying2
No.173Child abuseAbuse has not occurred0
No.174Child neglectNo neglect0
No.175Filicidal impulses and activityNo thoughts of filicide0

  • *The code of each item is provided within the Stafford Interview. 2 trained raters make code through discussion after each item is rated at the range of 3-point Likert scale (from 0 to 2) to six codes (from 0 to 5). A higher rating indicates worse in maternal emotional response, attitudes or behaviours to her infant.