What is it about?
Mothers caring for infants experience deep compassion, but this compassion can be emotionally complex. It can lead to compassion fatigue (feeling emotionally drained), compassion satisfaction (feeling fulfilled by caregiving), and self-compassion (being kind to oneself). Our research developed and validated a new questionnaire, the Maternal Compassion Preoccupation Questionnaire (MCPQ), to measure these experiences. This tool can help researchers and professionals better understand the emotional challenges and rewards of infant caregiving.
Featured Image
Photo by Isaac Quesada on Unsplash
Perspectives
Our work is the first to develop and validate a tool specifically designed to assess the emotional complexities of compassion in infant caregiving. Unlike previous measures that focus on general caregiver stress, the Maternal Compassion Preoccupation Questionnaire (MCPQ) captures the interplay between compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and self-compassion, providing a more nuanced understanding of maternal experiences. Given the growing awareness of maternal mental health and its impact on child development, this research offers a timely and valuable contribution. The MCPQ can help researchers and practitioners develop better support systems for mothers during the critical early months of infant care.
Miriam Chasson
Harvard University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Maternal Compassion Preoccupation Questionnaire (MCPQ): Development and initial validation., Journal of Family Psychology, February 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/fam0001319.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
