Assessing the paternal-fetal relationship using the Prenatal Marschak Interaction Method rating scale

The Prenatal Marschak Interaction Method Rating System (PMIMRS; Kashwer, 2004) is a Likert-type rating system for the Prenatal Marschak Interaction Method (PMIM) and was established as an intervention and assessment tool for evaluating the relationship between a mother and her unborn child. This exploratory study aimed to extend the rating system to utilize the PMIMRS as a tool to examine the father-fetus relationship as well. The PMIMRS showed high interrater reliability for both fathers and mothers and showed moderate and high internal consistency for father and mothers, respectively.;No significant differences were found across father and mother mean total PMIMRS scores; however, dyads showed counterbalanced scores in terms of affect and total interaction style. The preliminary findings of this study indicate that completion of the PMIM tasks by father with his unborn baby may impact his view of the relationship with his child. The data show a difference in father's self-report of attachment with the child when the PMIM tasks are completed prior to his report as opposed to father reporting prior to completing the PMIM tasks. In addition, when father's self-report is elicited following his completion of the PMIM tasks, his self-report is congruent with the observed interaction during the PMIM.;It would be premature to generalize the results given the limited size and homogeneity of the sample. Additional research is needed to further evaluate the effectiveness of the PMIMRS for fathers and to evaluate if any changes are needed to allow the rating system to better capture the qualitative differences between father-fetus and mother-fetus relationships.