J Fam Psychol. 2006 Jun;20(2):275-83. doi: 10.1037/0893-3200.20.2.275.

Coparenting, mother-infant interaction, and infant-parent attachment relationships in two-parent families.

Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43)

Yvonne M Caldera, Eric W Lindsey

PMID: 16756403 DOI: 10.1037/0893-3200.20.2.275

Abstract

Coparenting behavior and the quality of mothers' parenting behavior were examined in relation to parents' perceptions of their child's attachment in 60 two-parent families with 11- to 15-month-old infants (30 boys and 30 girls). Parent-child attachment was assessed using the Attachment Q-Sort. Competitive coparenting was associated with mothers' and fathers' perception of a less secure parent-child attachment relationship, whereas maternal responsiveness was associated with mothers' perception of a more secure mother-child attachment relationship. Families with mothers who were more restrictive and those with parents who were more competitive were less likely to have mothers and fathers with similar perceptions of the quality of parent-child attachment relationships. Findings support the proposal that different levels of family functioning affect the quality of parent-child relationships.

((c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).

MeSH terms

• Adult
• Family / psychology
• Family Relations
• Father-Child Relations*
• Feedback
• Female
• Humans
• Infant
• Male
• Mother-Child Relations*
• Object Attachment*
• Parenting*
• Temperament
• Videotape Recording

Publication Types

• Journal Article