Attachment - Role Of The Father Flashcards
(24 cards)
Primary caregiver
Person who spends most time with the baby
Primary caregiver
Person who spends most time with the baby
Primary attachment figure
Person that the baby has the strongest attachment to
Usually the same person as the primary caregiver
What events made a change in the role of the father?
2019 - three and four mothers with dependent kids were in work in the UK
Covid-19 lockdown led to a 58% increase in unpaid childcare undertaken by men
Why are fathers important?
Provide mothers with time away from childcare
Reduce stress (for mothers)
Boost self esteem (in mothers)
Improves mother’s bond with kids
Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
In 3% of cases the father was the first sole object of attachment.
In 27% the father was the joint first with the mother.
Fathers were the first joint attachment figure in 1/3 of infants.
75% of babies in the study had formed attachment by the age of 18 months.
Father’s role in child’s attachment
Support child cognitive emotional and social development via stimulating playful interactions
Promote exploration and risk taking behaviours
Geiger (1996)
Fathers: exciting
Mothers: nurturing, affectionate
Grossman et al (2002)
Longitudinal study of 44 families comparing father and mother’s contribution to their child’s attachment at 6, 10 and 16 years old
Grossman et al (2002) - findings
Father’s playstyle with linked to father’s own working model of attachment
Quality of a baby’s attachment to their mother was related to their attachment in adolescence
Fathers have a different role to mothers; play and stimulation less to do with emotional development
McCallum & Golombok (2004)
Found same sex parents (women) do not make different children to heterosexual parents.
COUNTERS GROSSMAN (2002)
Lack of fatherly attachment
Often do less well in school and are more prone to risk taking behaviours and high levels of aggression
Pederson (1979) pointed out that most studies focus on single mothers from poor socioeconomic backgrounds
Lamb (1987)
Fathers who are main caregivers have better sensitive responsiveness
Lucassen et al (2001)
Higher levels of sensitivity were associated with greater levels of infant-father attachment security
Hrdy (1999)
Fathers are less able than mothers to detect low levels of infant distress
Field (1978)
Primary caregivers (whether mother or father) are better at interactional synchrony and reciprocity than secondary caregiver
Brown et al (2012)
Fathers involvements and sensitivity influence detachment security
What influences the father infant attachments?
Degree of sensitivity, type of attachment with own parents, marital influence, supportive co-parenting
Degree of sensitivity
More security attachments to their children are found in fathers who show more sensitivity to their children’s needs
Type of attachment with own parents
Single parent father’s tended to form similar attachments with their children that they had with their own parents
Marital influence
The degree of intimacy of father has within his relationship with his partner affects the type of attachment he will have with his children
Supportive co-parenting
The amount of support a father gives to his partner in helping to care for the children affects the type of attachment he will have with his children
Impact on the economy - positive
Shared parental leave reduces economic burdens about mental health
Flexible working policies (to accommodate father’s role in parenting) league two improved jobs satisfaction and productivity
Security attachments can lead to higher educational attainment and economic productivity later in life
Impact on the economy – negative
Paid paternity leave increases cost for government
Encouraging fathers to be more active challenges cultures and industries with rigid gender roles
