The beginning of the father -child relationship: exploring the influence of intra and interpersonal variables on the PFA (paternal-fetal attachment)

The construct of prenatal attachment refers to the complex of attitudes, behaviors and representations that parents develop towards the fetus during pregnancy (Cranley, 1981; Müller, 1993; Condon, 1993). To date, research has focused more on the development of the maternal compared to the paternal prenatal attachment. On the contrary, our study aimed to specifically investigate the development of the paternal-fetal attachment (PFA). The research has a longitudinal design, with data collection in pregnancy (VII-VIII month) and in the postnatal period (3-4 months after childbirth). We recruited a sample of 112 expectant fathers (age 25-51 yr.). In the prenatal period, they completed measures of prenatal attachment (PAI, Müller 1993; PAAS, Condon 1993), dyadic adjustment (DAS, Spanier 1976), depression (CES-D, Radloff 1977), psychiatric symptoms (SCL-90R, Derogatis et al. 1977). In the postnatal phase, a subsample of expectant fathers completed the DAS, CES-D and SCL-90R again, along with measures of postnatal attachment to the child (MPAS, Condon & Corkindale 1998), child's behavior (SVC-24, Laicardi 1998) and parent-child bond problems (PBQ, Brockington et al. 2001). This contribution concerns only prenatal data, as the study is in progress and the postnatal sample is still numerically small. The results indicated no significant effect of parity and no significant effect of the planning pregnancy on paternal-infant attachment scores. They also revealed positive significant correlations of prenatal attachment with dyadic adjustment in couple’s relationship. A regression analysis showed that age (-) and dyadic adjustment (+) were significant predictors of the paternal prenatal attachment. These results suggest that quality of the couple relationship seems to be an important protective factor for the development of the paternal prenatal attachment. This should be taken into account in planning support services for the couple during the transition to parenthood.