Antecedents of fathers' perception of child behavior at child age 12 months.

Thomas Skjothaug,Vibeke Moe,Erik Stänicke,Lars Smith,Tore Wentzel‐Larsen

doi:10.1002/imhj.21862

Abstract

This study investigates whether fathers' adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and attachment style reported during pregnancy predict fathers' perception of child behavior assessed 12 months postpartum, expressed by the Parenting Stress Index (PSI), Child Domain. Prospective fathers (N=835) were recruited to "The Little in Norway (LiN) study" (Moe & Smith) at nine well-baby clinics in Norway, with data collection composed of five time points during pregnancy and two time points postpartum (6 and 12 months). The main analyses included linear regression, path-analysis modeling, and intraclass correlation based on mixed effects modeling. First, linear regression analyses showed that neither fathers' ACE nor attachment style significantly predicted perceived child behavior postpartum directly. Furthermore, path analyses showed that ACE and less secure attachment style (especially avoidant attachment) measured early in pregnancy strongly predicted negatively perceived child behavior, mediated by fathers' mental health symptoms during pregnancy and partner disharmony postpartum. Second, intraclass correlation analyses showed that fathers' perceived child behavior showed substantial stability between 6 and 12 months postpartum. Family interventions beginning in pregnancy may be most beneficial given that fathers' early experiences and perceptions of attachment in pregnancy were associated with later partner disharmony and stress.

Highlights

Fathers’ caregiving is considered to be important for children’s development in infancy and early childhood (Cabrera, Tamis-LeMonda, Bradley, Hofferth, & Lamb, 2000), with their parenting influenced by multiple intrafamilial and extrafamilial factors (Van Holland De Graaf, Hoogenboom, De Roos, & Bucx, 2014)
This paper focuses upon three overarching research aims among men in the transition to fatherhood: First, to investigate whether retrospectively reported adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and attachment style, assessed before the child is born, predict the later perception of child behavioral characteristics at child age 12 months postpartum
The model acquired an improvement in fit (RMSEA = .042, comparative fit index (CFI) = .922, and Tucker Lewis index (TLI) = 0.917)

Summary

Introduction

Fathers’ caregiving is considered to be important for children’s development in infancy and early childhood (Cabrera, Tamis-LeMonda, Bradley, Hofferth, & Lamb, 2000), with their parenting influenced by multiple intrafamilial and extrafamilial factors (Van Holland De Graaf, Hoogenboom, De Roos, & Bucx, 2014). One of these influences is stress, and it is well known that parenthood can be experienced as stressful (Skjothaug, Smith, Wentzel-Larsen, & Moe, 2018). Adverse childhood experiences (ACE), partner attachment style, mental health, and partner harmony seemingly act in concert to shape paternal perceptions of their infants, which again may affect child development, and the whole family, over time

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