Child Assessment
Child development was evaluated shortly after
offspring reached their second birthday (M age
524.8 months, SD50.9) using the Bayley Scales of
Infant Development II (BSID), the most widely used
and validated assessment of child development. The
BSID generates two standardized scores: an MDI and
a PDI. Testing was carried out by a clinical psychologist
who was blind to maternal prenatal and
postnatal psychological status.
The third BSID scale, the Infant Behavior Record
(IBR), was also scored. For this age group, the scale
consists of 26 items that are reduced to three factors
that describe child behavior during the test situation.
These include the degree to which children exhibit
the following: (1) positive affect, initiative toward
materials, lack of fearfulness, and social engagement
with the tester (IBR-Orientation/Engagement); (2)
attention and persistence toward tasks, cooperation,
and good adaptation to new materials (IBR-Emotional
Regulation); and (3) mature quality of motor
behavior characterized by normal tone, fine and
gross motor proficiency during tasks, and appropriate
motor speed (IBR-Motor Quality). Items were
dually scored by the examiner and an observer (interobserver
reliability ks ranged from .82 to .85).