Sensitive responsiveness in expectant and new fathers

Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg; Marinus H van IJzendoorn

doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101580

Sensitive responsiveness in expectant and new fathers

Curr Opin Psychol. 2023 Apr:50:101580. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101580. Epub 2023 Apr 25.

Authors

Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg¹, Marinus H van IJzendoorn²

Affiliations

¹ ISPA, University Institute of Psychological, Social and Life Sciences, Lisbon, Portugal; Department of Psychology, Personality, Social and Developmental Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
² Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Psychiatry Monash Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: marinusvanijzendoorn@gmail.com.

PMID: 37210992
DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101580

Abstract

Fathers have an increasingly important role in the family and contribute through their sensitive responsiveness to positive child development. Research on parenting more often included fathers as caregivers in the past two decades. We present a neurobiological model of sensitive responsive parenting with a role for fathers' hormonal levels and neural connectivity and processing of infant signals. We tested this model in a research program ("Father Trials") with correlational and randomized experimental studies, and we review the results of these studies. So far, interaction-focused behavioral interventions seem most promising in supporting fathers' sensitive responsiveness, even though the mechanisms are still uncharted.

Keywords: Baby carrier; Hormones; Neurobiology; Prenatal intervention; fMRI.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child
Child Development
Fathers*
Humans
Infant
Male
Parenting*