Poster #83 - Parents’ Idealization of Their own Parents: Relations With Marital Attunement and Caregiving Quality

• In Event: Poster Session 18

Abstract

This study examined the impact of mothers' and fathers’ representations of their childhood
relationships with their parents on marital quality and, in turn, the effects of marital quality on the quality of care they provide their children at 24 months. Previous research has demonstrated that dismissing attachment representations have a negative impact on interpersonal relationships. Although men and women are equally likely to be dismissing in their attachment representations (van IJzendoorn & Bakermans-Kranenburg, 1996), such representations predict significantly worse caregiving for men than for women (Psouni, 2019). However, we know of no research that has addressed the mechanism by which a dismissing attachment influences caregiving. To determine this, we examined whether and how the two most common components of a dismissing attachment, parents' lack of recall and idealization of the parent, as assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview, might contribute to caregiving. We hypothesized that both components would have a negative effect on sensitivity, with a more negative effect for men than women. As men’s dismissing attachment has been related to worse marital relationships (Paley et al., 1999) and lower marital quality has been linked with poor caregiving (Cannon et al., 2008), we posited that marital emotional attunement would mediate the relationship between the core features of dismissing attachment, idealization of the parent and lack of recall, and caregiving sensitivity.

Couples (N=125) were recruited from birthing classes and followed for 2 years. Prenatally, the
Adult Attachment Interview (George & Main, 1985) was administered to both parents in a
laboratory setting and coded for lack of recall, idealization of the mother, and idealization of the father. Two weeks later, the expectant parents were visited at home. Couple interactions were
observed during discussion tasks and scored for emotional attunement (Booher & Jacobvitz,
1998). At 24 months, mother-toddler and father-toddler interactions were observed and scored
for caregiver sensitivity (Hazen, 1997).

A path analysis revealed husband’s idealization of the father was associated with lower marital
attunement prenatally (β =-.344; p<.010). Also, prenatal marital attunement forecast paternal
sensitivity (β =.227; p<.019). The indirect effect of father’s idealization of the father on paternal
sensitivity was marginally significant (β=-.031; p<.090). Paths were not significant for
idealization of the mother or lack of recall for men (see Figure 1). For mothers, no major paths
were significant and model fit was poor. These findings concur with previous research
suggesting that dismissing attachment is more significant for men’s relationships than women's.
Further, they suggest that specific components, specifically idealization of the father, may have
unique effects on marital quality. These results will be discussed in the context of gender
socialization and the possibility that men may unwittingly replicate their father’s behaviors in a manner that is detrimental to their own relationships.

Authors

• Bradley Maclaine, University of Texas at Austin
  Presenting Author

• Shuqi Zhang, University of Texas at Austin

• Caryl Faulks, University of Texas at Austin

• Nancy Lynn Hazen, University of Texas at Austin

• Deborah B Jacobvitz, University of Texas at Austin