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Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS)3

Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) Test

Designed for expectant mothers, the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) Test contains 19 questions and takes about 4 minutes. It explores emotional, cognitive, and behavioral involvement with the unborn baby, helping you reflect on your experience and understand your personal pattern of thoughts, feelings, and actions during pregnancy.

Questions: 194 minutes

Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale: situation and reply bubbles

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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2,256 completions

1,848 likes

Daniel Hall Psychologist · Test reviewer

1,848 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

BehavioralB

Measures how actively the expectant mother shows care and attention toward the future child through her behavior and actions during pregnancy.

example score21/30

21/30Moderateexample score

6 – 17Low

18 – 26Moderate

27 – 30High

A score of 21 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a moderate level of caregiving-related behaviors and attention toward the baby during pregnancy.

EmotionalE

Measures the intensity of positive emotions and emotional involvement an expectant mother experiences toward her unborn child.

example score11/35

11/35Low emotional involvementexample score

7 – 21Low emotional involvement

22 – 31Moderate emotional involvement

32 – 35High emotional involvement

A score of 11 falls in the low emotional involvement range, suggesting relatively infrequent or less intense positive emotions toward the baby at this stage.

CognitiveC

Measures the mother's cognitive engagement in pregnancy, including how much she thinks about and mentally relates to the future child.

example score19/30

19/30Moderate cognitive engagementexample score

6 – 17Low cognitive engagement

18 – 26Moderate cognitive engagement

27 – 30High cognitive engagement

A score of 19 falls in the Moderate cognitive engagement range, suggesting a noticeable but not intensive level of thoughts and mental involvement with the pregnancy and the baby.

Attachment BehaviorsAB

Measures how actively the expectant mother expresses care and attention toward her unborn child through her behaviors and actions.

example score25/40

25/40Moderateexample score

8 – 21Low

22 – 32Moderate

33 – 40High

A score of 25 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a typical level of attachment-related behaviors and caregiving actions during pregnancy.

Attachment QualityAQ

Measures the strength and positivity of the expectant mother’s emotional bond with her unborn child.

example score26/50

26/50Lower attachment qualityexample score

10 – 30Lower attachment quality

31 – 46Moderate attachment quality

47 – 50High attachment quality

A score of 26 falls in the lower attachment quality range, suggesting a comparatively less positive or less engaged emotional connection with the unborn child at this time.

Overall ScoreOS

Measures the overall strength of prenatal maternal attachment and emotional involvement with the unborn baby.

example score34/95

34/95Low attachmentexample score

19 – 56Low attachment

57 – 81Moderate attachment

82 – 95High attachment

A score of 34 falls in the Low attachment range, suggesting comparatively limited emotional engagement and focus on the baby during pregnancy at the time of assessment.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Expectant mothers self-checking

46%OF USERS

Pregnant women who want to understand how emotionally connected they feel to their baby and whether this bond is growing as expected.

Perinatal psychologists and counselors

31%OF USERS

Specialists who use the questionnaire to screen attachment during pregnancy and decide if additional support or counseling may be helpful.

Midwives and prenatal clinics

23%OF USERS

Healthcare teams who include the test in routine prenatal care to identify women who may benefit from extra guidance in preparing for motherhood.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

BehavioralB

You?

Average21.1

Typical rangeTypical17.4 – 24.7

Possible6 – 30

EmotionalE

You?

Average19.8

Typical rangeTypical14.9 – 24.6

Possible7 – 35

CognitiveC

You?

Average19.9

Typical rangeTypical15.6 – 24.2

Possible6 – 30

Attachment BehaviorAB

You?

Average18.4

Typical rangeTypical13.8 – 22.9

Possible8 – 40

Attachment QualityAQ

You?

Average33.1

Typical rangeTypical27.6 – 38.6

Possible10 – 50

Overall ScoreOS

You?

Average45.6

Typical rangeTypical33.6 – 57.7

Possible19 – 95

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Almost all the time
- Very often
- Often
- From time to time
- Not at all
- Very weak or absent
- Quite weak
- Moderate
- Quite strong
- Very strong
- Very positive
- Mostly positive
- Mixed (a mixture of positive and negative feelings)
- Mostly negative
- Very negative

These are 3 of the 19 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) Test - Description and methodology of the test

pregnancy

motherhood

For expectant mothers who want to understand their relationship with the unborn baby, the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) Test provides structured self-reflection during pregnancy. It is an antenatal attachment test that organizes emotional responses, thoughts, imagined contact, and caregiving actions into a profile. The result can show where involvement feels stronger, less pronounced, or mixed without reducing the experience to a single label.

What This Assessment Explores

Items cover preoccupation, feelings, imagery, responsibility, caregiving, and imagined birth or loss. They show thought, emotion, and action, including mixed experiences. This prenatal attachment assessment supports reflection on your pregnancy. Scales are:

Behavioral (6-30) measures caring actions: Low 6-17, Moderate 18-26, High 27-30.
Emotional (7-35) measures positive feelings: Low emotional involvement 7-21, Moderate emotional involvement 22-31, High emotional involvement 32-35.
Cognitive (6-30) measures mental engagement: Low cognitive engagement 6-17, Moderate cognitive engagement 18-26, High cognitive engagement 27-30.
Attachment Behaviors (8-40) measures caregiving: Low 8-21, Moderate 22-32, High 33-40.
Attachment Quality (10-50) measures bond quality: Lower attachment quality 10-30, Moderate attachment quality 31-46, High attachment quality 47-50.
Overall Score (19-95) measures attachment: Low attachment 19-56, Moderate 57-81, High 82-95.

Methodology and Scientific Basis

Each question uses five ordered choices. Most refer to the previous two weeks; some address imagined birth, possible pregnancy loss, or future contact with the baby. Options capture frequency, emotional intensity, mental imagery, responsibility, closeness, and caregiving behavior.

Responses combine into the displayed dimensions and overall result. The questionnaire does not state a universal point value for each option, so score ranges cannot reveal an individual answer’s contribution. Interpretation should follow the profile and stated bands.

The named source instrument is the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS), introduced by John T. Condon in 1993. Condon and Carolyn Corkindale examined related antenatal attachment in a 1997 study. The questionnaire is conceptually consistent with these sources, but this does not establish identical wording, administration, standardization, or norms for every online presentation.

As a maternal attachment questionnaire, it is a self-report measure, so responses may shift with current mood, pregnancy circumstances, response bias, and self-awareness. Displayed categories are descriptive online bands, not population norms or diagnostic thresholds; the result describes a personal pattern of antenatal involvement.

Author: John T. Condon

Literature:

Condon, John T. (1993). The assessment of antenatal emotional attachment: Development of a questionnaire instrument. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 66(2), 167-183. 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1993.tb01739.x
Condon, John T., & Corkindale, Carolyn (1997). The correlates of antenatal attachment in pregnant women. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 70(4), 359-372. 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1997.tb01912.x

Updated: 2025-10-02