Pleasure in parenting as a mediator between fathers’ attachment representations and paternal sensitivity.

Abstract

The present study examined the mediating role of pleasure in parenting in the link between fathers' attachment representations and paternal sensitivity among 138 father-infant dyads from a rural part of the southeastern United States. First-time fathers' attachment representations were assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) prenatally. Pleasure in parenting-a multidimensional construct assessing positive attitudes and beliefs toward the parenting role-was coded from fathers' interviews at 3 months. Paternal sensitivity was coded from father-infant play interactions at 12 months. Results indicated that fathers with secure-autonomous adult attachment representations showed more pleasure in parenting. In turn, fathers who took more pleasure in parenting also interacted more sensitively during father-infant interactions. Moreover, although the direct association between fathers' attachment representations and sensitivity was nonsignificant, the indirect effect from secure-autonomous representations to sensitivity via pleasure in parenting was significant. Findings suggest that first-time fathers' parenting attitudes may play a role in transmitting representations of early caregiving experiences to sensitive interactions with their own infants.

Origins and development of maternal self-efficacy in emotion-related parenting during the transition to parenthood: Toward an integrative process framework beyond Bandura’s model.

“…Considering the aforementioned measurement traditions and the divergent underlying theoretical assumptions, it seems important to evaluate how the empirical research speaks to the extent to which adult attachment style/representations assessed with different approaches may be differentially associated with parenting efficacy. Although adult attachment representations assessed with AAI have been widely associated with parenting behaviors and the overall quality of parenting (Ablow et al, 2013; Aytuglu & Brown, 2021; Leerkes et al, 2015; Madigan et al, 2006; Slade et al, 1999; van IJzendoorn & Bakermans-Kranenburg, 2019; Verhage et al, 2016; Waters et al, 2018; Whipple et al, 2011), research particularly focusing on the link between AAI attachment representations and parenting self-efficacy remains sparse. Only two somewhat relevant studies were identified.…”

“…For example, spending time in physical contact with the infant has been shown to be effective in promoting fathers’ attention to and accurate perceptions of infant crying signals, especially for fathers with more exposure to early adversities (Riem et al, 2021). Relatedly, there also exists some evidence indicating that fathers’ own secure attachment style/representations are associated with their more sensitive parenting behaviors when interacting with the child in various types of activities (Aytuglu & Brown, 2021; Hazen et al, 2010; McFarland-Piazza et al, 2012; Reisz et al, 2019).…”

Father trait anger: Associations with father–infant bonding and subsequent parenting stress

“…The Paternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (PPAS) is one of the most common measures of the fatherinfant bond and conceptualizes fathers' feelings of bonding across three domains; affection and pride in the infant, pleasure in their interactions, and patience and tolerance in the context of the demands of the role (Condon et al, 2008). Fathers' bonds with infants typically develop over the course of the first postpartum year and indicate a capacity to be a secure and reliable attachment figure (Condon et al, 2013;Aytuglu and Brown, 2022). Although no research, to our knowledge, has investigated associations between a propensity to feel anger (i.e., trait anger) and father-infant bonding, studies have linked state anger (i.e., feeling angry in the moment; Spielberger, 1999) and related constructs to deficits in parent-infant relationships.…”