Actor-Partner Associations Between Fathers’ and Mothers’ Partner Responsiveness-Insensitivity, Coparenting, and Infant Bonding

This study explored the actor-partner patterns of associations among perceived partner responsiveness/insensitivity, coparenting relationship, and bonding with infant in a sample of first-time parents using an actor-partner interdependence mediation model. The final analyses were conducted on 246 first-time mother-father dyads with infants aged between 1 and 12 months. All dyads were married, with mothers averaging 29.66 years old and fathers 32.35 years old. Each dyad member participated online to complete the study scales independently. The most notable findings revealed both actor-partner associations between parental perceived partner responsiveness/insensitivity and coparenting relationship. Fathers’ perception of positive coparenting was associated with a stronger father-infant bond (actor effect). Furthermore, fathers’ perception of positive coparenting mediated the relationship between both fathers’ and mothers’ perceived responsiveness and insensitivity and fathers’ bonding with the infant (two actor and two partner effects). These findings are discussed in the context of family dynamics that may influence parent-infant bonding.