Poster #100 - Qualitative Analyses on the Intergenerational Transmission of Attachment and Fatherhood Among Japanese Families

• In Event: 2-055 - Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Section - Family Context & Processes

Integrative Statement

Purpose
The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the intergenerational transmission of attachment and fatherhood among father's fathers (FGFs), fathers, and children. Attachment security is transmitted from one generation to the next via parental behaviors. The findings of intergenerational associations were mostly from mother-child and/or grandmother-mother-child relationships. Even though paternal line associations were less found to be significant (Cassibba et al., 2017), examinations on relationships among father-child and/or grandfather-father-child are scarce and need more evidence. The aim of the present study was twofold: first, to test the transmission of attachment across two generations (FGFs-father) and three generations (FGFs-father-child). Second, to test whether paternal parenting behaviors were transmitted from FGFs to fathers.

Method
Participants:　A total of 30 subjects (10 families) were involved in. Mean ages of FGFs, fathers, and children were 63.6 years, 36.6 years, and 25 months respectively. They were all native Japanese and fathers' families were all intact. There were 5 boys.
Procedure and measures: Researchers visited fathers and children at their home once, and FGFs were interviewed at a different time. FGFs and fathers were interviewed using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI, George et al., 1996) in Japanese. The AAI transcripts were coded accordingly, and the results of the classifications are shown in Table 1. The children were observed with their fathers about two hours at their home for the AQS (Waters & Deane, 1985) to calculate security scores (M=.54, SD=.20). AAI transcripts were also analyzed for FGFs' and fathers' parenting and parented experiences using phenomenological approach.

Result
The association of attachment patterns across two generations (FGFs-fathers) was not significant, examined by Fisher' exact test, and three generational associations were not significant either by 2 by 2 MANOVA on children's security scores in table 2.
Next, we investigated which dimensions of FGFs' parenting behaviors affected fathers' parenting qualitatively. For secure-autonomous dyads, fathers not only described FGFs' (close) involvement in their lives but also emulated FGFs' parenting behaviors like actively managing child activities (e.g., make small get together with neighbor kids frequently). For FGF-insecure and father-secure dyads, fathers were likely to report to have felt distant with FGFs and tried to avoid harsh parenting on which was once imposed by their FGFs. For both insecure dyad, a father was suspected to have experienced physical punishment by a FGF and himself used similar discipline now to his child.

Discussion
FGFs' and fathers' attachment classifications were not related. This may be because most of the fathers were primarily reared by their mothers and/or grandmothers. In the development of mental representations regarding attachment, relational history with mothers has a stronger influence than with fathers.
For the qualitative analyses on fatherhood across two generations, compared with FGFs, fathers were more involved emotionally and instrumentally with their children. Secure fathers did not use or less use punishment than a non-secure father.
With additional subjects, we will proceed further analyses.

Authors

• Miyuki Kazui, Ibaraki University
  Presenting Author

• Kaori Fukuda, Toyo Gakuen University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Megumi Kitagawa, Konan University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Shimpei Kudo, Osaka University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Minako Nakajima, Ibaraki Chiristian University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Miyuki Ando, Ibaraki Wemen's Junior College
  Non-Presenting Author

• Toshihiko Endo, University of Tokyo
  Non-Presenting Author