Dimensions of Attachment and Commitment Across the Transition to Parenthood
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Date
2013-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
For new parents, the birth of the first child is a time of joy and stress. In response to this stress attachment styles become activated within individuals to them help cope. Just as individuals vary in their attachment styles, so do their levels of commitment. Both of these variables are important, individualized factors in the maintenance and quality of relationships. No study has looked at how attachment and commitment are associated, especially over the transition to parenthood. To determine if an association exists, 182 expectant couples were given self-report measures to assess attachment and three commitment variables (dedication, confidence and constraint), pre and post birth. I ran correlation matrixes to determine if a relationship existed. Prebirth, avoidance was negatively associated with confidence, dedication and positively with constraint as well as one another's commitment variables while anxiety in mothers was linked with lower confidence. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models were used to determine how attachment was linked to changes in commitment. After the transition, avoidance was negatively associated with changes in confidence, dedication, and positively with constraint while father's avoidance was negatively associated with mother's constraint. Anxiety in fathers was negatively associated with changes in his confidence, dedication and positively with constraint, and his partner's confidence, dedication and positively with constraint after the transition. Additionally, mother's anxiety was negatively associated with father's dedication and positively with constraint after the transition. Hopefully with replication and further study, these results can benefit interventions in the counseling field.
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Keywords
attachment, commitment, transition to parenthood