Attachment classifications and their correlates in Japanese father–infant dyads

This study presents the first application of the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) to Japanese father–infant dyads to examine attachment classifications and their correlates. We analyzed fifty-four fathers and their 12–18-month-old infants. As a result, secure attachment represented the largest proportion, and within insecure categories, ambivalent attachment was more prevalent than avoidant attachment. Two behavioural patterns rarely reported in previous father–child SSP studies were also observed: infants calling for their mothers during episodes and infants ceasing intense crying at reunion without proximity seeking. Logistic regression analyses revealed no significant associations between attachment security and paternal sensitivity, quantity of parenting, or pleasure in parenting. However, testing differences among attachment types indicated that fathers of disorganized infants exhibited a larger discrepancy between sensitivity and pleasure in parenting than fathers of other groups, suggesting a potential mismatch between caregiving attitudes and behaviours.