By Paul Kelbie
London - A pioneering system to measure a mother's love for her baby has been devised by scientists in an attempt to identify children most at risk from developing health and behavioural problems in later life.
The 10-minute psychological test is intended by researchers to help health and social workers recognise women who are struggling to bond with their offspring.
It has been developed by the family and personal relationships laboratory at Heriot-Watt University, in conjunction with the Scottish Executive's Centre for Integrated Healthcare Research, for new mothers with children under the age of six months.
Evidence from a number of surveys carried out in the United States and elsewhere has indicated that youngsters deprived of a loving, trusting relationship in their early years are more likely to develop antisocial behaviour as they grow up.
The test, developed by Dr Bjarne Holmes and a team of researchers, involves a short questionnaire in which mothers are asked to assess their own personality and how well they relate to their child.
Questions focus on relationships with other people, and whether the mother finds it easy to trust others. The answers are then used by the psychologists to assess the relationship she may develop with the child.
The psychologists may then video the mother and child together to examine more closely how the two communicate and bond. The team will look for any signs of hostile behaviour from the mother towards the child, such as teasing, failing to comfort the child when it is distressed, or a suggestion that the mother is frightened by the infant.
If a mother is unresponsive or her behaviour repeatedly frightens the child, then there is a risk the infant will find it harder to cope with stress, which could lead to both mental and other health problems later in life, Dr Holmes said.
A pilot project on a group of 70 mothers in Fife is due to begin in November.
"A severely unhealthy mother-child relationship, particularly in the first 12 to 18 months of life, is a substantial risk factor for mental health problems in childh o d and even in adolescence," said Dr Holmes.