Prediction of infant-father and infant-mother attachment.

The Ist‐year correlates of infant–father and infant–mother attachment were investigated in a longitudinal study of early family development. Mothers and fathers were observed interacting with their firstborn, 3‐month‐old infants. Parents also were interviewed individually at 3 months child age concerning their time with the infant and their attitudes and reports about the infant and their parental role. Mothers and fathers were seen in the strange situation with their infant at 12 months. For infants and fathers, security of attachment was predicted from the qualities of interaction at 3 months, the father's attitudes and reports about the infant and the paternal role, and the father's time with the infant. For infants and mothers, security of attachment was predicted from the qualities of interaction at 3 months and the mother's time with the infant. Over the last 2 decades, Bowlby's attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969) and the work of Ainsworth and others (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, Belsky, Rovine, Crockenberg, 1981; Maslin Miyake, Chen, variables other than those that are typically measured (sensitivity, responsivity, warmth) may indeed predict the development of a secure infant–father attachment. Origins of Infant–Father Versus Infant–Mother Attachment The origins of infant–father attachment may reside in different types of interactions than the origins of the infant–mother attachment. There are several differences between mothers and fathers in Western cultures. Fathers spend considerably less time on average with infants than do mothers, and this decreased time includes less one‐on‐one interaction, less accessibility, and less responsibility for the infant's care (Lamb Yogman, 1982).