Abstract
Coparenting is based on parents' representations of themselves as coparents. Attachment theory can be a useful framework to understand the way that different coparenting representations are developed during the transition to parenthood. This study aimed to analyze the association between men's attachment and coparenting representations at the first trimester of pregnancy and from the first trimester of pregnancy to 6 months' postpartum. A sample of 86 men was recruited and completed self-report measures of attachment and coparenting representations at the first and third trimester of pregnancy and at 1 and 6 months' postpartum. At the first trimester of pregnancy, higher attachment avoidance was associated with higher lack of coparenting support. From the first trimester of pregnancy to 6 months' postpartum, higher attachment avoidance was associated with (a) a steeper increase on lack of coparenting support, (b) an increase on coparenting conflict (while low attachment avoidance was associated with a decrease), and (c) a lower decrease on coparenting disagreement. This study may contribute to coparenting research by showing new evidence on attachment theory as a useful framework to understand how different coparenting representations are developed in men during the transition to parenthood.
Highlights
According to the attachment theory, adults develop significant relationships based on their attachment tendencies
Attachment tendencies include a wide range of memories, beliefs, and expectations that shape how individuals think and feel about their relationships and how they behave in those relationships (Bowlby, 1969; Shaver & Hazan, 1988)
Attachment theory can be a useful framework to understand the way that different coparenting representations are developed during the transition to parenthood
Summary
According to the attachment theory, adults develop significant relationships based on their attachment tendencies. Attachment theory refers to these tendencies as internal working models of attachment that once developed are highly stable and are carried forward into adolescent and adult relationships (Bowlby, 1969; Shaver & Hazan, 1988). Internal working models play an important role in guiding perception, emotion, and behavior in attachment-related situations (e.g., Ammaniti, van IJzendoorn, Speranza, & Tambelli, 2000; Collins & Allard, 2001; Fraley & Roberts, 2005). As previously observed in infants, adults look for the proximity of significant others, experience emotional distress if the other is not available, build up confidence and security from the relationship with the other, and look for the other in situations of distress and threat (Ainsworth, 1989; Collins & Feeney, 2004; Shaver & Mikulincer, 2007). Looking for support, for example, refers to a behavioral manifestation of the attachment system, and the availability of the attachment figure is associated with individual psychological adjustment, even in adulthood (Collins & Feeney, 2000; Feeney & Collins, 2004)
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