Nurturing fathers: a qualitative examination of child-father attachment

This research investigates the meaning of child-father attachment where the child feels close to the father but distant from the mother. A categorical-content narrative analysis was conducted of four transcripts of interviews with women who were becoming mothers for the first time and who exhibited this pattern. The analysis suggests the importance of nurturing fathering, and also that these fathers can differ in their motivations and in the social contexts of their fathering. Selfassertive fathering and compensatory fathering are concepts suggested to capture this difference. The link between father involvement and child-father attachment is explored. Implications for practice and for future research are presented.