Relation of the Postnatal Attachment Questionnaire to the Attachment Q‐Set

Abstract

We examined the relation of the relatively new parent‐to‐infant Postnatal Attachment Questionnaire (PAQ) and the Attachment Q‐Set (AQS) in mothers and fathers of 12‐month‐old infants. The PAQ represents the affective component and the AQS the behavioural component of caregiver–infant attachment. The PAQ has to do with the feelings of the parents towards the infant, whereas the AQS is concerned with the infant's and parents' behaviour vis‐à‐vis each other. Fifty‐nine mothers and 38 fathers of 59 infants (31 girls, 28 boys) completed the PAQ and the AQS when their infants were between the ages of 11 and 15 months. The results of multiple regression analyses indicate that the PAQ of both mothers and fathers, as a whole, is significantly related to the AQS. Also, interaction effects revealed that, for fathers of daughters, the relation between the PAQ and the AQS is positive, such that more pleasure in interacting was associated with more secure attachments; whereas for fathers of sons, the relation between the AQS and the absence of hostility PAQ subscale is significant and positive, with less hostility relating to more secure attachments. These findings lend support for the notion that parental feelings are one important correlate of infant secure‐base behaviour.