Father-to-infant attachment and its associated factors during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study
Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, cilt.43, sa.1, ss.151-166, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 43 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/02646838.2024.2382214
- Dergi Adı: Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, CINAHL, Educational research abstracts (ERA), EMBASE, MEDLINE, Psycinfo
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.151-166
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Attachment, fathers, infants, paternal, COVID-19, pandemic
- Kırklareli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Background: The attachment between father and infant is essential to a child’s later development and well-being; yet, hardly any research has examined father-to-infant attachment during the outbreak of COVID-19. This study, therefore, aims to examine psychological, interpersonal, and health-related factors associated with father-to-infant attachment at 3–12 months postpartum during the pandemic. Method: An online cross-sectional study was conducted between June and December 2021. A total of 775 fathers with at least one child aged 3–12 months were recruited. Participants completed measures of depression, COVID-19-related distress, relationship satisfaction, social support and other health-related factors including COVID-19 diagnosis and hospitalisation. Data on psycho-socio-demographic, obstetric, and COVID-19-related characteristics were also collected. Results: Findings demonstrated that paternal depression (β = -.33, p <.001); relationship satisfaction (β =.19, p <.001); COVID-19-related psychological distress (β = -.14, p <.001) and social support (β =.13, p <.001) had a significant effect on father-to-infant attachment. Fathers who were multiparous, had COVID-19 diagnosis, and hospitalised due to COVID-19 were more likely to report poorer father-to-infant attachment. Paternal depression was the most influential factor on father-to-infant attachment, which attenuated the strength of the relationships between marital status, prematurity, history of trauma, sleep quality, and father-to-infant attachment once included into the analyses. No significant associations between educational level, employment, socioeconomic status, delivery mode, and father-to-infant attachment were observed. Conclusion: These findings highlight the critical role of paternal psychological well-being in establishing healthy father-to-infant attachment and the relevance of having satisfied interpersonal relationships in promoting this early relationship particularly during crises such as COVID-19 pandemic.