The importance of attachment to fathers in Latinx mental health

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2932314
AutoresAmanda Venta (0000-0002-1641-123X, University of Houston, autor de correspondencia), Jesse Walker (0000-0003-2652-6177, University of Houston), Cassandra A Bailey (0000-0001-9326-3931, Sam Houston State University), Cassandra Bailey (Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA), Tessa Long (Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA), Alfonso Mercado (0000-0002-3127-9724, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, USA), Cecilia Colunga-Rodríguez (0000-0003-0328-788X, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico)
Año2022
Volumen39
Número5
Páginas1508-1528
Fecha de publicación2022-05-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Social and Personal Relationships (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0265-4075 • E-ISSN: 1460-3608
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/02654075211059444
OpenAlexW4200595308
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas39

The impact of attachment to fathers on mental health in Latinx communities is understudied and not fully understood, though extant research focusing on maternal attachment forms a solid base of knowledge regarding the importance of attachment (to mothers) on mental health. The broad aim of this study was to examine the importance of paternal attachment in relation to maternal attachment on mental health in Latinx young adults. The current study used two large, young adult samples: one collected in Latin America ( n = 774) and one collected in the United States ( n = 1084). We hypothesized that paternal attachment would be a significant predictor of internalizing (emotional symptoms), externalizing (hyperactivity, conduct problems), and interpersonal (social problems, prosocial behavior) functioning beyond maternal attachment. Exploratory analyses examined whether paternal communication, trust, or feelings of alienation, three established facets of attachment, differentially related to mental health outcomes. Findings broadly supported hypotheses, as attachment to fathers made a significant, incremental contribution to all outcome variables. Further, paternal alienation emerged as a potent potential risk factor, while paternal trust emerged as a potential protective factor for mental health outcomes in these samples. This study is the first to endeavor to understand the links between paternal attachment and mental health beyond maternal attachment in two distinct samples with varying immigration statuses, countries of residence, and cultural norms and has important implications for working with Latinx populations from a clinical, assessment, and research standpoint

Alienation · Attachment theory · Developmental psychology · Extant taxon · Feeling · Interpersonal communication · Mental health · Prosocial behavior · Protective factor · Psychiatry · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology