The Impact Of Supportive Co Parenting, Father Engagement And Attachment

Demographically, over 90% of the participants strongly agreed that fatherhood is crucial in our society. A little over 47% of fathers, that encouragement from the mothers of their children matters because of the obstacles they faced with finance, and their duties on the job. The final results of marital status statistics is over 80% married fathers, nine percent divorced, and six percent never married. One surprising statistic was 90% cohabitate with the mother and focal child (Glenn & Popenoe, 2006).

There are various factors that contribute to huge challenges or issues in the attachment relationship or connection between parents and their children. Throughout the past few years, several attachment researches have been conducted to examine a wide range of various factors that contribute to these issues. The factors

Family is the first contact an infant experiences and the environment child is raised determines their behaviors and social development. Father figures just like mother figures are important in raising and socializing children in becoming responsible people as they grow. Numerous researches to determine importance of fathers in early child development have been carried out and majority of them found out that just like mothers, the role fathers play in early childhood development including mental, psychological and physical development are crucial. The studies show that, children raised by single mothers are likely to have problems such as drug abuse, engagement in early sexual behaviors and other unsocial behaviors as compared to those raised by both parents. The paper will explore the role of fathers in child rearing, discussing strategies in raising children and exploring pros and cons of such strategies.

The stereotype that African American fathers are not there for their children is a common misconception throughout America. The idea of absent African American fathers is fleeting because more people are beginning to shine light on the statistics of the real number of absent African American fathers. In fact, African American fathers are just as present as white fathers regardless of the relationship with the mother. The latest data finds that the stereotypical gender imbalance in this area doesn’t hold true, and dads are just as hands on when it comes to raising their children. For children between the ages of 5-18, 67% of fathers talk with their children about their day daily. This manner of conversation is the foundation of a healthy relationship.

Much research has been done on the influence of a mother on a child’s well-being and development (Pougnet, Serbin, Stack, & Schwartzman, 2011). However, research has shown that an engaged and loving father can contribute greatly to a child’s cognitive, social, and psychological development (Bronte-Tinkew, Carrano, Horowitz, & Kinukawa, 2008; Duursma, Pan, & Raikes, 2008; Pancsofar & Vernon-Feagans, 2010; Wilson & Prior, 2010).

Some scholars have argued the notion that fathers are important contributors to their children and adolescents’ psychosocial development (Mandara, Murray, & Joyner, 2005). According to Allgood, Beckert, and Peterson (2012), researchers are beginning to understand the importance of examining children’s perspectives and the relationships and levels of involvement children have with their fathers.

Infant attachment is the first relationship a child experiences and is crucial to the child’s survival (BOOK). A mother’s response to her child will yield either a secure bond or insecurity with the infant. Parents who respond “more sensitively and responsively to the child’s distress” establish a secure bond faster than “parents of insecure children”. (Attachment and Emotion, page 475) The quality of the attachment has “profound implications for the child’s feelings of security and capacity to form trusting relationships” (Book). Simply stated, a positive early attachment will likely yield positive physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development for the child. (BOOK)

"Longitudinal Effects of Divorce on the Quality of the Father-Child Relationship and on Fathers' Psychological Well-Being." Journal of Marriage & Family, vol. 61, no. 2, May 1999, pp. 397-408. EBSCOhost, fortwayne.libproxy.ivytech.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.fortwayne.libproxy.ivytech.edu.allstate.libproxy.ivytech.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=1915490&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 30 March 2017. Shapiro and Lambert speak about divorce and how it affects the father and the child. The relationship between a father and child will likely dwindle once a divorce occurs. Most children will have very little or no interactions at all with their father. The study also shows that divorced men tend to not let the fact they don’t see their children affect them psychologically. The article goes further into detail about more studies and how the father’s future relationships will be affected. The is a credible source because it was published by The National Council of Family Relations. This text has a lot of information that will not be needed in my essay. However, I will use parts of this article to discuss that after divorce, fathers tend to have limited contact in a child’s

There are many studies focusing on levels of attachment and the quality of the parent-child relationship starting at birth and moving up through infancy. These studies have found that the infants involved in the study could be categorized as either having a secure or insecure attachment to their caregivers. Some children grow secure attachments with the caretaker from the daycare and thus have weaker relationships with their parents. Researchers have found that there could be variations on how critical the attachment is effected based on sex, age, and individual personality. The attachment can also vary from parent to parent; for example, some studies have found that at infancy, boys are more effected by the absence of the father while at daycare (Quan, et al., 2013). On the other hand, some could argue that these effects aren’t negative and that the ability to socialize outside the family at an early age could possibly aid the child to grow up with more confidence and adaptability (lecture, 10/12/16). There are also other factors that could be taking place when a child is seen shying away from a stranger or if they still seem distressed when seeing the parent again after separation, as seen in the Strange Situation. Inconclusive results can make it seem that, for example, personality or situational factors like being tired could affect and skew results (lecture, 10/12/16). It may seem that there are harmful effects to the early parent-child relationship, however, there are

The essence of attachment to a developing infant cannot be overstated. It is at the heart of healthy child development. Also, it lays a foundation when it comes to relating with others. It plays a crucial role in influencing the parent's ability to nurture and to be responsive to their children. The effects of attachment to the developing infant are long-term. Bowlby, the developer of the theory of infant-caregiver attachment, attachment security determines the infant’s preferential desire for contact with his or her caregiver (Levine, 23). The child uses the caregiver as a “secure base” from which to explore the environment. When infants develop securely attached relationships to their caregivers, they will have positive behaviours in the future. They also tend to show resiliency to new environments.

Parents are a vital factor in the development of their children. Many parents fill various roles as teachers, playmates, caregivers, and disciplinary figures; but one of the most important roles that a parent can hold is that of an attachment figure. The attachment between a child and their attachment figure is a strong predictor of the child’s later social and emotional wellbeing (Benoit, 2004). John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth worked together to come to the principle of attachment theory (Bretherton, 1992).

Moretti, Obsuth, Mayseless and Scharf (2012) conducted a study and found that an attachment based program called Connect significantly increased the relationship between caregiver and child. While Moretti, Pasalich and O’Donnell stressed the importance of knowledge in their child’s adolescence period which will then create a healthy relationship between the two. These two articles emphasize how behaviour communicates a message and if parents come to understand this behaviour, the bond between the two can strengthen. A relationship with a child is a long lasting bond, which is why parental classes should be mandatory before the birth of any child to ensure proper care, responses, and understanding towards the child throughout their life.

The concept of infant-mother attachment is as important to the child as the birth itself. The effect this relationship has on a child shall affect that child for its entire life. A secure attachment to the mother or a primary caregiver is imperative for a child’s development. Ainsworth’s study shows that a mother is responsive to her infant’s behavioral cues which will develop into a strong infant-mother attachment. This will result in a child who can easily, without stress, be separated from his mother and without any anxiety. Of course the study shows a child with a weak infant-mother relationship will lead to mistrust, anxiety, and will never really be that close with the mother. Without the

An infant with a secure attachment style has a natural bond with their parent, where they are able to trust them, at the same time leaving their side to discover and explore their surroundings. In an insecure/resistant attachment the relationship the child has with their mother or caregiver is very clingy, thus making them very upset once the caregiver is away. When the mother or caregiver is back they are not easily comforted and resist their effort in comforting them. In an insecure/avoidant attachment the infant is, “indifferent and seems to avoid the mother, they are as easily comforted by a stranger, as by their parent” (Siegler 2011, p.429). Lastly, the disorganized/disoriented attachment is another insecure attachment style in which the infant has no way of coping with stress making their behavior confusing or contradictory. Through these brief descriptions of the attachment theory, many researchers have defined the turning point in which each attachment definition can have an influence on one’s self esteem, well-being and their marital relationship.

Firstly, issues surrounding poverty and social class. A study conducted by Everett Waters in 1978 found that out of the 50 middle-class children that were observed, 48 maintained their attachment from 12 to 18 months (Birns, 1999, p. 14). A further study conducted by Vaughn et al in 1979 using the ‘Strange Situation’ method and questionnaires. Found that through the 100 under-privileged mothers and infants surveyed, the change of attachment classification was directly linked to the mothers’ stress; the extent of the stress experienced by the mother’s impacted on the infant’s attachment (Birns, 1999, p. 15). Along the same lines, studies conducted by AECOM found that disadvantaged children over the ages of 3 had significantly lower scores, compared to the scores of middle-class children (Birns, 1999, p.