Mothers' and fathers' couple and family contextual influences, parent involvement, and school-age child attachment

Abstract

Increasingly couples in two-parent families share the dual responsibilities of parenting and providing for their children financially. Parenting is embedded within and shaped by specific family contexts. This study examined 92 mothers' and fathers' responses on indices of couple and family contexts, parent involvement, and child-reported attachment to each parent. The results showed some differences in mothers' and fathers' perceptions of the couple and family contexts, and mothers reported greater involvement than fathers. Their children reported similar attachment internal working models of each parent. However, father–child attachment was more closely linked to couple and family contextual variables, while mother–child attachment was more closely linked to mother involvement. Parent interview data illustrate both individual and shared perspectives of family contexts, parent involvement, and parent responses to children's attachment needs.