Les relations d’attachement et d’activation père-enfant : effet modérateur de l’engagement paternel pour prédire le
développement socio-affectif des enfants
Like mothers, fathers are important attachment figure for children. However, the mechanism behind father-child attachment appears to be different and unique. Compared to mothers, fathers engaged in more playful activities with their children, less in nursing activities. The games they do together are also more physical and more exciting. By encouraging his child to explore in a sensitive way, a father becomes a catalyst for risk-taking, helping his child to become confident in himself and in others. That function of opening children to the outside world would have an important impact on children’s socioemotional development. That is what we have learned from studies on father involvement. Until now, very few researchers have studied father involvement and father-child attachment at the same time, but many of them are already suggesting that it is by opening up children to the outside world that fathers become important attachment figure for them. Father-child attachment would build on the quality of their activation relationship. The present thesis aimed precisely at improving our understanding of father-child attachment. Two articles are included. The first article is a theoretical one. It is review of what has been written up to now on father-child attachment and on father involvement. The second article is empirical. It is specifically about evaluating the influence of fathering on the mechanism behind father-child attachment. A total of 53 father-child dyads were included in the present study. Father involvement in comfort, stimulation and discipline was measured when children where between 12 and 18 months old. At this age, attachment and activation quality was also measured, respectively with the Strange Situation and the Risky Situation. The two procedures where then compared to see which one was better able to predict children level of social competency, internalizing problems and externalizing problems during preschool years. Results indicates that the Risky Situation is a better predictor of children’s socio-emotional development (social competency and internalizing problems). No relationship was found with the Strange Situation, even when considering father involvement in comfort. Those results support the activation relationship theory and the importance of openness to the outside world for fathers. This study limitations, as well as it’s theoretical and methodological implications will be explained in the discussion of the second article and in the conclusion of the present thesis.
Father-child attachment Activation relationship Fathering Father involvement Socio-affective development Infancy Preschool Social competence Internalizing problems Externalizing problems