| Sumario: | Objective: This study introduces an instrument, the Interview of Mother’s Experiences (I-ME), focusing on how the mother’s past and present experiences relate to her psychological state and interaction with the baby. Background: Questionnaires and video-taped interactions are used for assessing dyadic relationship disturbances. Validated interviews are rarer and might yield additional information. Method: Analyses were made on 86 dyads from a randomised controlled trial comparing mother–infant psychoanalytic treatment with Swedish Child Health Centre care. Data were assembled from two interviews with a 6-month interval. Initial infant mean age was 5 months. Concurrent and predictive validity were assessed by comparisons with questionnaires and mother–baby interaction ratings. Results: The I-ME’s internal consistency and inter-rater reliability were high. Factor analyses indicated its incremental validity beyond questionnaires and interaction ratings. The hypothesis that I-ME scores would be closely related to the interaction ratings was refuted. Rather, they were associated with questionnaires on depression and infant functioning. The I-ME predicted the mothers’ interactive contributions six months later, whereas the questionnaire on maternal psychopathology predicted the infants’ contributions. Conclusions: The I-ME may help detecting dyads at risk for future difficulties with interactions and attachment, beyond other assessment methods such as mother-report questionnaires.
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