Exploring fathers’ experiences of fatherhood through an attachment lens

ABSTRACT

This study interviewed fathers of young infants to explore their experiences and understandings of their parental roles; comparing these with observations of them interacting with their baby, using an attachment lens. Analysis of interviews revealed key themes about fathers’ experiences of being parented and in their turn, parenting, which linked to social discourses around masculinity. An analysis using attachment discourse markers was also employed to reveal an indication of the fathers’ preferred attachment strategies. The majority indicated a preferred dismissing strategy, connecting with a core theme from the analysis that ‘reason and logic are better than emotion.’ A CARE-Index analysis of the fathers’ interaction with their babies showed that, despite fathers’ strong intentions to parent differently, they tended to re-enact the behaviour of their own fathers.

KEYWORDS:

• Fathers
• fatherhood
• father–infant attachment
• attachment
• CARE-Index

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The policy is available at: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/uploads/production/document/path/13/13024/Data_Protection_Policy.pdf

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Catherine Coe

Dr Catherine Coe is a newly qualified Clinical Psychologist working in Devon Partnership NHS Trust. This research was undertaken as part of her training on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology programme at the University of Plymouth.

Rudi Dallos

Professor Rudi Dallos is an Honorary Professor at the University of Plymouth, having recently retired as Research Director of the Clinical Psychology doctoral training programme. He is a Clinical Psychologist and has practised as a family therapist for over 30 years. He is currently engaged in a major research programme to evaluate a systemic/attachment-based therapy (SAFE) for families with a child with a diagnosis of autism. Professor Dallos has published various books on attachment and systemic therapy, such as An Introduction to Family Therapy (2000), Attachment Narrative Therapy (2006), Systemic Therapy and Attachment Narratives (2009) and Attachment and Family Therapy (2014).

Jacqui Stedmon

Dr Jacqui Stedmon is Programme Director of the Clinical Psychology Programme at the University of Plymouth. She has worked for many years as a paediatric psychologist within local services for children's mental health. She is a qualified family therapist and enjoys drawing on a variety of other orientations to inform her therapeutic work. Together with colleagues, she co-founded, and currently acts both as Trustee and Clinical Director for, Jeremiah's Journey, a Plymouth-based charity that provides a service for bereaved children and their families. She is researching children and young people's narratives of grief and loss, particularly how their meaning-making resources may be linked to family attachment styles and resilience.

Tracy Rydin-Orwin

Dr Tracy Rydin-Orwin is a highly experienced Chartered Principal Clinical Psychologist with a special interest in perinatal infant mental health. Dr Rydin-Orwin holds Chartered and Associate Fellow status with the British Psychological Society. Tracy is a Steering Committee Member on the All Party Parliamentary Group for conception to three, an Advisor to Save the Children and visiting lecturer at the University of Roehampton. She is currently the Service Lead for Perinatal Infant Mental Health for Devon.