Validation of the AMBIANCE‐brief: An observational screening instrument for disrupted caregiving

ABSTRACT Resulting from a community‐identified need for a well‐validated indicator of caregiving difficulties for use in practice settings, a brief form of the Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification System (AMBIANCE) was developed for use as a screening instrument. Prior to its dissemination, this study aimed to assess the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the AMBIANCE‐Brief. Adolescent mother–infant dyads (N = 69) participated in the Strange Situation Procedure, as well as play sessions with and without toys. Maternal disrupted caregiving was coded from the play sessions using the AMBIANCE and AMBIANCE‐Brief. The AMBIANCE‐Brief demonstrated convergent validity with the AMBIANCE in the play session with toys (r = .65, p