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Fathers' attachment representations and infant feeding practices.

Samantha Reisz¹, Ashleigh I Aviles², Serena Messina²

¹University of Cambridge, Public Health & Primary Care, UK.

|July 26, 2019

Summary

Fathers' prenatal attachment styles predict infant feeding behaviors. Secure fathers are more attuned, while dismissing or unresolved attachment styles lead to controlling feeding, especially with sons.

Keywords:

Attachment Fathers Parent-infant feeding Parental feeding behavior

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Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Parent-Child Interaction
Attachment Theory

Background:

Fathers are underrepresented in infant feeding research.
Attachment is linked to maternal feeding practices.
Longitudinal studies on paternal attachment and feeding are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine prenatal adult attachment representations of first-time fathers as predictors of infant feeding practices.
To investigate the longitudinal relationship between paternal attachment and infant feeding behavior.

Main Methods:

118 first-time fathers and infants participated.
Adult Attachment Interviews conducted during the third trimester of pregnancy.
Father-infant feeding interactions observed and coded at 8 months postpartum.

Main Results:

Secure attachment predicted attuned feeding behaviors.
Dismissing attachment predicted less attuned feeding.
Unresolved trauma predicted controlling feeding behaviors.
Fathers exhibited more controlling behaviors with sons than daughters.

Conclusions:

Paternal adult attachment representations predict infant feeding behaviors.
Controlling feeding practices have negative implications for child outcomes.
Prenatal assessment of paternal attachment has intervention potential.