DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY 32:141–148 (2015) Research Article ARE WOMEN’S PARENTING-SPECIFIC BELIEFS ASSOCIATED WITH DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN THE PERINATAL PERIOD? DEVELOPMENT OF THE RIGIDITY OF MATERNAL BELIEFS SCALE Elizabeth Thomason, Ph.D., 1∗ Heather A. Flynn, Ph.D., 2 Joseph A. Himle, Ph.D., 1,3 and Brenda L. Volling, Ph.D. 4 Background: Perinatal depression negatively impacts women, parenting, and children’s development. However, not much is known about maternal specific be- liefs that may be associated with perinatal depression. We created a new measure that examined the rigidity of perinatal women’s beliefs in three major domains suggested to be closely related to mood and behavior: anticipated maternal self- efficacy, perceptions of child vulnerability, and perceptions of societal expectations of mothers (PSEM). Methods: A 26-item measure (the Rigidity of Maternal Beliefs Scale, RMBS) was developed and completed by women at two time points, pregnancy (n = 134) and postpartum (n = 113), along with the Edinburgh Post- natal Depression Scale. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) examined the factor structure of the RMBS and validity and reliability were also tested. Results: The EFA suggested that a four-factor solution was most interpretable, with few items cross-loading, and there were common themes that unified the items in each factor, resulting in a 24-item final measure. Cronbach’s alpha confirmed the in- ternal consistency, whereas bivariate correlations revealed the measure had good test-retest reliability, discriminant validity, and convergent validity. Regression analyses established predictive validity of the RMBS for postpartum depressive symptoms. Conclusions: The RMBS may be useful with clinical populations to identify maladaptive or rigid thoughts that could be a focus of intervention. This tool may also be used to guide conversation about motherhood expectations within any context where pregnant women present (e.g., prenatal care, social services), as well as potentially identifying women who are at risk for postpartum depression in clinical contexts. Depression and Anxiety 32:141–148, 2015. C  2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Key words: pregnant women; culture; depression; life change events; psychology; postpartum period 1 School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 2 Department of Medical Humanities and Social Sciences, Col- lege of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahasee, Florida 3 Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 4 Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan Contract grant sponsor: University of Michigan’s Rackham Gradu- ate School. ∗ Correspondence to: Elizabeth Thomason, School of Social Work, University of Michigan, 1080 South University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. E-mail: lizzyb@umich.edu Received for publication 30 October 2013; Revised 4 March 2014; Accepted 26 April 2014 DOI 10.1002/da.22280 Published online 29 May 2014 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). C  2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.