Couple empathy – the mediator of attachment styles for partners adjusting to parenthood
Objective and Background: Attachment styles and empathy with respect to couples’ functioning during the period of transition to parenthood have rarely been studied. The aim of the present study was to examine the link between attachment security and perceived empathy
as well as their role in the adjustment to parenthood. It was hypothesised that secure parents, as opposed to insecure ones, would perceive themselves and their partners as more empathic after the child’s birth and, as a consequence, more effectively adapt to parenthood. Methods:
Sixty-seven couples experiencing their first transition to parenthood participated in the study. Their attachment styles were measured before the birth of the child. Empathy (as perceived in oneself and in a partner) and adjustment to parenthood were measured when the child was a few months
old. Results: The results indicated that new parents with more secure, less anxious–ambivalent, and less avoidant attachment styles expressed and perceived more empathy in their relationships, and they were better adjusted to parenthood. A partner’s perceived empathy was
found to be a mediator between one’s attachment styles and their adjustment to parenthood. In particular, men’s self-assessed empathy and men’s empathy as perceived by their wives was a significant mediator of the relationship between one’s attachment styles and adjustment
to parenthood. Conclusion: Attachment styles are associated with the empathy of partners (both declared and perceived), which in turn predicts their better adjustment to parenthood.
Keywords: attachment; couple; empathy; parenthood
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
Publication date: 01 January 2015
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