Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 5-2013 Predictors of Father-Child and Mother-Child Attachment in Two- Parent Families Jared P. Benware Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Benware, Jared P., "Predictors of Father-Child and Mother-Child Attachment in Two-Parent Families" (2013). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 1734. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/1734 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PREDICTORS OF FATHER-CHILD AND MOTHER-CHILD ATTACHMENT IN TWO-PARENT FAMILIES by Jared P. Benware A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST in Psychology Approved: ___________________________ ___________________________ Gretchen Gimpel Peacock, Ph.D. Donna Gilbertson, Ph.D. Major Professor Committee Member ___________________________ ___________________________ M. Scott DeBerard, Ph.D. Mark R. McLellan, Ph.D. Committee Member Vice President for Research and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2013 ii Copyright © Jared Benware 2013 All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Predictors of Father-Child and Mother-Child Attachment in Two-Parent Families by Jared P. Benware, Educational Specialist Utah State University, 2013 Major Professor: Dr. Gretchen Gimpel Peacock Department: Psychology The attachment of a child and his or her caregiver is a bond that helps tie them together emotionally. The most important principle of attachment theory is the need of a child to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver for healthy emotional and social development to occur. The majority of attachment research has focused primarily on mother-child attachment, minimizing fathers’ contributions to attachment. The current study examined attachment of both mothers and fathers in two-parent families. Research questions focused on the relationship between mother-child attachment and father-child attachment, the relationship between child temperament and father-child attachment security, and whether the amount of time each parent is away from his/her child predicts attachment security. The participants in this study consisted of 50 sets of parents (100 participants) who had at least one child between the ages of 3-5. The relationship between father-child and mother-child attachment was not significant. iv Likewise, the relationship between child temperament and parent-child attachment was not significant. Also, parents’ time away from their child was not a significant predictor of attachment. Further research is needed with more ethnicities and cultures represented; a more balanced sample of economic classes; mothers who work more hours outside of the home; and the use of more impartial, third party observation measures to assess attachment and child temperament. (74 pages) v PUBLIC ABSTRACT Predictors of Father-Child and Mother-Child Attachment in Two-Parent Families by Jared P. Benware Utah State University, 2013 Jared Benware, M.S. and Gretchen Gimpel Peacock, Ph.D. at Utah State University examined parent-child attachment in two-parent families. Specifically, the relationship between mother-child and father-child attachment, the relationship between a child’s temperament and parent-child attachment, and the relationship between the attachment and the amounts of time a parent spends away from his or her child. The researchers solicited parents as participants to complete questionnaires that measure parent-child attachment and the temperament of their child. This study focused especially on providing more information on the connection between father-child attachment and mother-child attachment rather than focusing only on mothers as the primary attachment figure or fathers as supplemental attachment figures to mothers. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like thank my committee chairperson, Dr. Gretchen Peacock, for the countless hours and support she invested in this project. I also would like to thank my other committee members, Dr. Donna Gilbertson, Dr. Clint Field, and Dr. Scott DeBerard, for their expertise and knowledge that they have shared with me during my graduate school experience at Utah State University. I would also like to thank my wife, Merilee, for her inspiration and for always believing in me. Jared P. Benware vii CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. iii PUBLIC ABSTRACT .................................................................................................. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................ vi LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ ix LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... x CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................................................ 7 Attachment Theory ........................................................................................ 7 Measures of Attachment ................................................................................ 9 Maternal Contributions to Attachment .......................................................... 17 Child’s Temperament and Attachment .......................................................... 19 The Role of Environment in Attachment ...................................................... 21 Fathers’ Role in Attachment .......................................................................... 23 Summary ........................................................................................................ 25 III. METHODS .................................................................................................... 27 Participants ..................................................................................................... 27 Measures ........................................................................................................ 27 Procedure ....................................................................................................... 32 IV. RESULTS ...................................................................................................... 34 Descriptive Statistics .................................................................................... 34 Relationship Between Father-Child and Mother-Child Attachment ............. 34 Relationship Between Child Temperament and Father-Child Attachment ... 36 Time Away from the Child and Attachment Security ................................... 36 V. DISCUSSION ................................................................................................ 42 viii Father-Child and Mother-Child Attachment Connections ........................... 42 Relationship between Child Temperament and Parent-Child Attachment .... 43 Time Away from the Child by the Parent and Attachment Security ............. 45 Limitations and Future Directions ................................................................. 46 Summary ........................................................................................................ 47 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 48 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................. 54 Appendix A: Letter of Information ............................................................... 55 Appendix B: Recruiting Materials ................................................................. 58 Appendix C: Demographic Survey ................................................................ 62 ix LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Demographic Characteristics ......................................................................... 28 2 Descriptive Statistics of Parents’ Time Away ............................................... 35 3 Descriptive Statistics of the AQSQ ............................................................... 35 4 Descriptive Statistics of the DOTS-R ............................................................ 36 5 Child Temperament and Father-Child Attachment Score Correlation .......... 38 6 Contribution of Time Away from the Child to Mother-Child Attachment ... 39 7 Contribution of Time Away from the Child to Father-Child Attachment ..... 39 8 Parent-Child Attachment and Parent’s Time Away Correlations ................. 41 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page Page 1 Father-child attachment breakdown .............................................................. 37 2 Mother-child attachment breakdown ............................................................. 37 3 Father-child temperament breakdown ........................................................... 38 4 Mother-child temperament breakdown ......................................................... 38 5 Father’s time away breakdown .....................................................................