Predicting Paternal Autonomy Support During Infancy From Child Surgency/extraversion and Maternal Support for Paternal Competence

• In Event: Paternal parenting

Abstract

While several studies present compelling evidence for the important role of parental autonomy support (AS) in children’s development (Soenens et al., 2017), the factors that promote or hinder the use of these parenting approaches have seldom been explored, especially among fathers. Fathers are still poorly represented in research (Bogossian & al., 2019), although some authors suggest that they play a crucial role in supporting their child’s autonomy (Grossman et al., 2002; Yogman, 1994). Paternal AS was found to be associated with better child outcomes (Meuwissen et al., 2015, 2018; Vasquez et al., 2016). Thus, understanding the factors that might promote or hinder paternal AS is important. The present study examined whether the use of AS among fathers during infancy differed depending on the child’s level of surgency/extraversion (SE) and mothers’ support for paternal competence. According to Agrati et al. (2015), higher activity level and tendency to approach new stimuli, reflected in the SE of the child, may lead to the display of more risk-taking behaviors, and this behavioral profile of toddlers may, in turn, augment demands on the parents. Consequently, parents may turn to psychologically controlling parenting as opposed to AS, in order to control their child. This hypothesis is supported by one study showing that adolescent extraversion was positively related to parental psychological control (Egberts et al., 2015). No study has investigated this association during infancy. Moreover, some studies show that fathers who perceive their spouses as more supportive of their parenting role are more involved with their children (e.g., Bouchard et al., 2007). However, no study has examined the relation between maternal support for paternal competence and paternal AS.

This longitudinal study involved 115 father-infant dyads who were assessed at 6 (T1) and 12 (T2) months. Child SE was assessed at T1 using the very short form of the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R; Putnam et al., 2014), completed by fathers. Maternal support for paternal competence was also assessed at T1 using a questionnaire developed by Bouchard and Lee (2000) and completed by fathers. At T2, paternal AS was rated with Whipple et al. (2011)’s coding scheme, applied to a 5-minute father-infant problem-solving sequence.

Correlational analyses were first performed (see Table 1). Results showed significant associations between both child SE (r = -.188, p = .044) and maternal support for paternal competence (r = .236, p = .011) and paternal AS. Regression analyses were next carried out to predict paternal AS from child SE and maternal support of paternal competence. Findings (see Table 2) indicates that both child SE (β = -.249, p = .007) and mothers’ support for paternal competence (β = -.224, p = .015) are predictive of paternal AS and explain 9.6% of the variance.

The findings of the present study suggest that maternal support for paternal competence might promote paternal AS, while child SE might hinder it. Hence, policies and intervention programs that want to promote paternal AS should consider the mothers’ support for paternal competence and the child’s temperament.

Authors

• Emma Laflamme, Laval University
  Presenting Author

• Frédérique Fortin, Université Laval

• Marjorie Simard, Laval University

• Célia Matte-Gagné, Laval University

• Jean-Pascal Lemelin, Université de Sherbrooke