아버지의 아동기 부모애착과 양육 참여 간의 관계에서 부부 의사소통의 매개효과

The Mediating Effect of Marital Communication in the Relationship between Fathers’ Childhood Attachment to Parents and Involvement in Child Care

Objective: This study examined the relationship among fathers’ childhood attachment to parents, marital communication, and involvement in child care. Specifically, this study investigated the mediating effect of marital communication in the relationship between fathers’ childhood attachment to parents and involvement in child care. Methods: The participants were 303 fathers with infants and they responded to questionnaires on research variables. Data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro version 3.4. Results: First, fathers’ childhood attachment to their mothers had a positive effect on involvement in child care when marital communication was not considered as a mediator. That is, fathers who had secure childhood attachment to their mothers were more involved in child care. Second, when marital communication was considered as a mediator, this direct effect was not significant and fathers’ childhood attachment to their mothers had only an indirect effect on involvement in child care through marital communication. That is, fathers who had secure childhood attachment to their mothers communicated more efficiently with their spouses, which led to more involvement in child care. Conclusions: This study confirmed that fathers’ positive relationships with their mothers and spouses are important in the context of the family for fathers’ active involvement in child care.