Cited by 904Family Dynamics and RelationshipsAttachment and Relationship DynamicsChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 134 of the 136 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Theorizing the father–child relationship: mechanisms and developmental outcomes

Paquette, Daniel·2004·Human Development

DOI 10.1159/000078723

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

The aim of this article is to propose a theorization of the father-child relationship based on our current understanding of attachment, interactions between fathers and their young children, and human-specific adaptations. The comparison of mother-child and father-child interactions suggests that fathers play a particularly important role in the development of children’s openness to the world. Men seem to have a tendency to excite, surprise, and momentarily destabilize children; they also tend to encourage children to take risks, while at the same time ensuring the latter’s safety and security, thus permitting children to learn to be braver in unfamiliar situations, as well as to stand up for themselves. But this dynamic can only be effective in the context of an emotional bond between father and child; this relationship is termed the father-child activation relationship, in contrast to the mother-child attachment relationship aimed at calming and comforting children in times of stress. The activation relationship is developed primarily through physical play. It is postulated, in particular, that father-child rough-and-tumble play encourages obedience and the development of competition skills in children.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1159/000078723

Cites

134 of 134 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Untitled work
(1969) · Cited by 18,340
Untitled work
(1978) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 12,570
Attachment and Loss. Vol. 1. Attachment
Rever, G. W. (1972) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/00006842-197211000-00011 · Cited by 8,446
Sociobiology: The New Synthesis.
Lenski, G. E., & Wilson, E. O. (1976) · Social Forces · doi:10.2307/2576242 · Cited by 6,271
The psychology of sex differences
Maccoby, E. E. (1975) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7894(75)80031-1 · Cited by 5,714
Current patterns of parental authority.
Baumrind, D. (1971) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/h0030372 · Cited by 5,292
Attachment and Loss. Vol. I. Attachment.
Jones, N. B., & Bowlby, J. (1970) · Man · doi:10.2307/2798963 · Cited by 4,208
The Role of the Father in Child Development
Lamb, M. E., Pleck, J. H., & Levine, J. A. (1985) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4613-9820-2_7 · Cited by 2,488
Adult attachment representations, parental responsiveness, and infant attachment: a meta-analysis on the predictive validity of the adult attachment interview
van IJzendoorn, M. H. (1995) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.387 · Cited by 2,243
A developmental perspective on antisocial behavior
Patterson, G. R., DeBaryshe, B. D., & Ramsey, E. (1989) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.44.2.329 · Cited by 2,048

Flagged first, then by citations

Show all 136 references

2 of the 136 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 22

10.2307%2F1131510 · DOI
10.1037%2F%2F0012-1649.20.6.995 · DOI
10.2307%2F1132081 · DOI
10.1037%2F%2F0012-1649.14.2.183 · DOI
10.2307%2F1129974 · DOI
10.1037%2F%2F0033-2909.126.1.55 · DOI
10.2307%2F1131010 · DOI
10.1037%2F%2F0033-2909.102.2.187 · DOI
10.1037%2F%2F0012-1649.21.1.56 · DOI
10.1037%2F%2F0012-1649.13.6.637 · DOI
10.1037%2F%2F0893-3200.2.2.164 · DOI
10.2307%2F1129839 · DOI · Paper page
10.1037%2F%2F0012-1649.15.3.256 · DOI
10.1037%2F%2F0012-1649.23.5.705 · DOI · Paper page
10.1037%2F%2F0003-066X.44.2.329 · DOI · Paper page
10.1037%2F%2F0012-1649.24.6.802 · DOI · Paper page
10.2307%2F1132187 · DOI
10.1037%2F%2F0012-1649.18.4.635 · DOI
10.1037%2F%2F0022-006X.64.1.8 · DOI
10.2307%2F1131191 · DOI
10.1037%2F%2F0012-1649.20.3.492 · DOI
10.1037%2F%2F0012-1649.28.4.700 · DOI

Sorted by citations

Items 501–600 of 901

Le rôle du père dans le développement socio-affectif et cognitif des enfants en contexte migratoire
Ramdé, J. (2015) · Alterstice Revue internationale de la recherche interculturelle · doi:10.7202/1077303ar · Cited by 6
Separateness and closeness as expressed in Bird’s Nest Drawings: Relationships with partners and with the unborn child among expectant parents
Goldner, L., Gazit, O., & Scharf, M. (2016) · The Arts in Psychotherapy · doi:10.1016/j.aip.2016.12.002 · Cited by 6
Measurement, structural, and functional invariance of parent-child play quality coding across multiple games and parent gender
Piskernik, B., & Ruiz, N. (2018) · European Journal of Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1080/17405629.2018.1480935 · Cited by 6
“While fathers seem to favor physical games to excite, surprise, and encourage their children to take risks (Grossmann et al., 2002; Paquette, 2004), mothers are more © 2018 the author(s). published by Informa uK limited, trading as taylor & francis group. this is an open access article distributed…”
BackgroundInfluential
The efficacy of early childhood memories as indicators of current maladaptive schemas and psychological health
Theiler, S. (2005) · Swinburne figshare (Swinburne University of Technology) · doi:10.25916/sut.26287771 · Cited by 6
Understanding Parental Self-efficacy in Fathers
Sevigny, P. R. (2013) · doi:10.82465/6332 · Cited by 6
Play Behaviors: Definition and Typology
Fehr, K. K., Boog, K. E., & Leraas, B. C. (2020) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781119171492.wecad272 · Cited by 8
Relations Between Parental Gatekeeping and Parenting in Families With Children: A Scoping Review
Reis, H. L., Simionatto, A. P. R., Pivato, J. A., Vieira, M. L., & de Souza, C. D. (2025) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/00332941251347251 · Cited by 5
Moving toward an integrated model of the father–daughter relationship during adolescence
Blickman, R. S., & Campbell, C. G. (2022) · Family Relations · doi:10.1111/fare.12787 · Cited by 5
Changes in parents' mental health related to child out-of-home care placements: A Swedish national register study
Rajesh, T., Jonsson, K. R., Jackisch, J., & Straatmann, V. S. (2023) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106149 · Cited by 5
The role of parenting‐ and employment‐related variables on fathers' involvement in their children's education
Mancini, V. O., Nevill, T., Mazzucchelli, T. G., Chhabra, J., & Robinson, B. (2024) · British Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjep.12704 · Cited by 14
Stop hurting each other: Bidirectional longitudinal relationships and sex differences between parents’ negative expressiveness and offspring’s problem behaviors
Sun, Z., Cheng, N., Liu, J., Wu, M., Meng, X., Liu, C., Jiang, C. Q., & Wang, Z. (2024) · Early Childhood Research Quarterly · doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.07.003 · Cited by 5
Father-separation and well-being in forcibly displaced Syrian children
Eltanamly, H., May, A., McEwen, F. S., Karam, E. G., & Pluess, M. (2024) · Attachment & Human Development · doi:10.1080/14616734.2024.2406610 · Cited by 5
“Specifically, separation from fathers prevents the child from growing up with the attachment figure primarily engaged in the exploration aspect of attachment (Paquette, 2004).”
Influential
Heterogeneous Trajectories of Parental Psychological Aggression from Middle Childhood to Early Adolescence in China: Associations with Child- and Family-Level Predictors and Children’s Developmental Outcomes
Liu, Y., Wang, M., & Hu, Y. (2024) · Journal of Youth and Adolescence · doi:10.1007/s10964-024-02115-2 · Cited by 5
“In particular, fathers are primarily involved in fostering children ’ s autonomy and competence in the external world (Paquette, 2004), whereas mothers mainly focus on the social-emotional well-being of their children (Videon, 2005).”
An Analysis of Latent Profiles of Father-Child Interaction: Classification Predictors and Differences in Children’s Socio-Emotional Development
Park, S., & No, B. (2021) · Journal of Comparative Family Studies · doi:10.3138/jcfs.52.3.06 · Cited by 5
The influence of parental variables and child behavioral inhibition on social anxiety in preschool children: The moderator effects of gender
Fernandes, C. C., Martins, A. T., Santa-Rita, A., & Faísca, L. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03247-z · Cited by 5
“Men are socially seen as those who take more risks in the external social world (Byrnes et al., 1999) and involve their 1 3 children – especially boys – in challenging play, contributing to the development of children’s social confidence (Paquette, 2004).”
Daddy, May I? The Interaction of Fathers' Parenting Styles and Their Children's Personality
Massey-Abernathy, A. R. (2022) · Journal of Social Psychology Research · doi:10.37256/jspr.1220221364 · Cited by 5
“It involves the parental dimensions of warmth and control, which helps teach obedience and involves sensitivity (Hofferth et al., 2010; Paquette, 2004).”
Background
Child-Centred Approach to Shared Parenting: Parents’ Experiences with Bird’s Nest Parenting Arrangement
Lehtme, R., & Toros, K. (2022) · Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal · doi:10.1007/s10560-022-00862-4 · Cited by 5
“Studies have confirmed the benefits of multiple attachments to different caregivers and the unique roles played by the mother and father in a child’s healthy development (Paquette, 2004; Lamb, 2010; Brown et al., 2012; Warshak, 2014).”
Theorizing Fathering: Past, Present, and Future
Adamsons, K. L., Cutler, L., & Palkovitz, R. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-14498-1_1 · Cited by 5
The Unique Role of Father Involvement in Child Socioemotional Development
Zhong, Y. (2023) · Journal of Education Humanities and Social Sciences · doi:10.54097/ehss.v8i.4592 · Cited by 5
“Unlike the mother-child attachment relationship, Paquette [10] emphasizes the importance of fathers in stimulating and temporarily destabilizing their children during play, thus creating a father-child activated relationship.”
BackgroundInfluential
Challenging Parenting Behaviour and Anxiety Disorders in Emerging Adulthood
Chan, E. W. T., Wong, K. T. C., & Clark, L. H. (2023) · Journal of Child and Family Studies · doi:10.1007/s10826-022-02434-7 · Cited by 5
“This finding suggests that fathers do indeed tend to interact with their child more physically, and are more likely to stimulate engagement in risk-taking behaviours than mothers (Paquette, 2004).”
BackgroundResultInfluential
Revisiting the debate on effects of parental power-assertive control in two longitudinal studies: early attachment security as a moderator
Bendel‐Stenzel, L. C., An, D., & Kochanska, G. (2023) · Attachment & Human Development · doi:10.1080/14616734.2023.2262979 · Cited by 5
“…intense activities and bold exploration of the environment, often close to the child’s comfort zone (Amodia-Bidakowska et al., 2020; Deneault et al., 2022; Feldman & Shaw, 2021; Grossmann & Grossmann, 2020; Grossmann et al., 2008; MacDonald & Parke, 1984; Paquette, 2004; StGeorge et al., 2018).”
Background
Raufen und Toben
Richartz, A. (2014) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-658-06247-7_8 · Cited by 5
Pais responsáveis, filhos satisfeitos: As responsabilidades paternas no quotidiano das crianças em idade escolar
Lima, J. A., Serôdio, R., & Cruz, O. (2012) · Análise Psicológica · doi:10.14417/ap.104 · Cited by 5
Expérience paternelle et problèmes intériorisés de jeunes enfants en situation de précarité : le point de vue des pères
Kettani, M., Zaouche-Gaudron, C., Lacharité, C., Dubeau, D., & Clément, M. (2017) · Enfances Familles Générations · doi:10.7202/1041064ar · Cited by 5
Toward creating positive masculinity? Art therapy as seen by male art therapists and male adolescent clients
Goldner, L., & Ruderman, Y. (2019) · The Arts in Psychotherapy · doi:10.1016/j.aip.2019.101613 · Cited by 7
Paternal migration and children’s educational attainment and work activity: the case of Mexico
Song, Q., & Glick, J. E. (2020) · Community Work & Family · doi:10.1080/13668803.2020.1772725 · Cited by 5
“Some argues that father – child attachment may serve as a unique secure base function and promote children’s competencies without which children’s development may be negatively impacted (Paquette, 2004).”
Background
Fathers in Child Psychotherapy
von Klitzing, K., & White, L. O. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-51027-5_37 · Cited by 5
More Similar to My Father, Better Academic Performance I Will Have: The Role of Caring Parenting Style
Tu, M., Guo, Y., Zhang, X., & Yu, Q. (2021) · Psychology Research and Behavior Management · doi:10.2147/prbm.s314238 · Cited by 5
“Other researchers found that children could be braver when encountering challenges in life due to the fathers’ caring and support.(60,61) Even though the current participants were recruited in an economically developed city, this study still found that the fathers “caring parenting mediated the effect of perceived fat…”
Background
Joint attention episodes during interactions with fathers but not mothers at age 2 years is associated with expressive language at 3 years
Ataman-Devrim, M., Nixon, E., & Quigley, J. (2022) · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105569 · Cited by 5
Mother and father interaction with their 3-month-old infants: Similarities and differences in parenting behaviour in well-resourced parents
Roggero, M. P., Bonalume, L., Mazzoleni, A. L., Piroli, V., Negri, A. A. M., Cordolcini, L., Mascheroni, E., & Montirosso, R. (2023) · Infant Behavior and Development · doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2023.101822 · Cited by 5
Toddler affect with mothers and fathers: the importance of infant attachment
Braungart‐Rieker, J. M., Planalp, E. M., Ekas, N. V., Lickenbrock, D. M., & Zentall, S. R. (2019) · Attachment & Human Development · doi:10.1080/14616734.2019.1681012 · Cited by 6
“Paquette (Paquette, 2004; Paquette & Bigras, 2010), for example, posits a father-child activation relationship, in which fathers stimulate children’s arousal and promote risk-taking more so than mothers.”
Background
Gender Differences in Children's and Parents' Social Support Perceptions
Matthewson, M. L., Smith, R. B., & Montgomery, I. (2011) · Journal of Relationships Research · doi:10.1375/jrr.2.1.10 · Cited by 5
Behavior and Development
Ditmar, M. F. (2010) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-06561-0.00002-1 · Cited by 7
Perceived Parental Warmth and Young Adults’ Social-Emotional Skills: Influence Through Social and Psychological Well-Being
Zhang, X., Wang, Y., & Geng, F. (2025) · The Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1080/00223980.2025.2502728 · Cited by 9
“Notably, while gender role theory (Paquette, 2004) highlighted the unique contributions of fathers in fostering problem-solving and risk-taking behaviors, this study has shown that paternal warmth equally affects psychological well-being.”
Paternal Activation as a Protective Factor against Problem Behaviors in Early Childhood
Feldman, J. S., Wilson, M. N., & Shaw, D. S. (2024) · Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology · doi:10.1007/s10802-024-01179-9 · Cited by 4
“By challenging children while also providing limit-set-ting, fathers may promote their children’s self-confidence (Paquette, 2004; Paquette & Bigras, 2010), including in the context of risk-taking (Bögels & Phares, 2008; Möller et al., 2013), which may be protective against the development of…”
Relationship Between Cross-Generational Coalitions and Depression Among Chinese College Students: The Chain Mediating Roles of Self-Differentiation and Interpersonal Adaptation
Peng, C., Shen, Y. G., Zhang, Z., Chen, H., Ye, S., Li, Y., Zhang, Y., & Ren, Q. (2025) · Psychology Research and Behavior Management · doi:10.2147/prbm.s525764 · Cited by 4
“68 Qualitative research suggests that fathers have a substantial influence on adult children’s interpersonal adaptation.”
Associations between Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Attachment Patterns in Preschool-Aged Children: Systematic Review
Potter-Dickey, A., Letourneau, N. L., & de Koning, A. P. J. (2020) · Current Developmental Disorders Reports · doi:10.1007/s40474-020-00219-5 · Cited by 5
Naturalistic Parent Teaching in the Home Environment During Early Childhood
Porta, S. D., Sukmantari, P., Howe, N., Farhat, F., & Ross, H. S. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.810400 · Cited by 4
“A review of the literature by Paquette (2004) indicated fathers’ presence, active engagement, and rough and tumble play improves children’s positive risk-taking behavior, life skills, and controls aggression while mothers tend to solve problems for the child without providing opportunities for them…”
Background
Closeness and Direct Engagement: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Non-Resident Father Involvement
O’Gara, J. L. (2023) · Journal of Family Issues · doi:10.1177/0192513x231204022 · Cited by 4
“Distinct measures and conceptual models of father involvement exist because scholars recognize nuances between mothers and fathers in parenting behaviors suggesting father involvement is its own distinct construct (Cabrera et al., 2014b; Paquette, 2004), though not all scholars concede to this idea.”
Father educational involvement and Chinese elementary school children's math anxiety: the chain mediating role of growth mindset and math self-concept
Cai, J., Yang, Y., Yu, H., & Xu, C. (2024) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-024-06292-y · Cited by 5
“…and challenges, the father-child activation relationship may give them sufficient autonomy and control to improve their ability to solve math problems independently, making them more resilient to stress (Kenny & Gallagher, 2002; Paquette, 2004) and better able to adapt to different math situations.”
Influential
Interparental violence and children's attentional bias: The mediating effect of parental harsh discipline in China
Yang, S., Liu, Y., Wang, M., & Zhao, J. (2025) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107296 · Cited by 4
The longitudinal relationship between high school students’ family functioning and school adaptation: the chain mediating roles of parent-child relationships and self-directed learning
Tang, T., Yuan, Z., Peng, X., Pan, Y., Wang, T., & Yang, L. (2025) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-025-07703-4 · Cited by 4
“Both father-child and mother-child relationships are crucial in shaping school adaptation and self-directed learning (Nur et al., 2018; Paquette, 2004; Paquette et al., 2023), yet most research has focused on their combined effects, with limited attention to the distinct influences of each parent.”
Father-Daughter Attachment and Sexual Behavior in African-American Daughters
Hill-Holliday, K. (2009) · VCU Scholars Compass (Virginia Commonwealth University) · doi:10.25772/x6ef-5047 · Cited by 4
RETOOLING: EVOLUTION IN RESEARCH ON FATHERS – A COMMENTARY
Bradley, R. H., & Cabrera, N. (2014) · Infant Mental Health Journal · doi:10.1002/imhj.21472 · Cited by 4
Möglichkeiten der Einbeziehung von Vätern in der Eltern-Säuglings-Psychotherapie
Eickhorst, A., & Scholtes, K. (2011) · Praxis der Kinderpsychologie und Kinderpsychiatrie · doi:10.13109/prkk.2011.60.6.466 · Cited by 4
“Ihre Rolle als primär „wilde Spielkameraden“ ist allerdings in der Literatur umstritten (vgl. gegenüberstellend Paquette, 2004 und Roggman, 2004).”
Background
The Impact of Family and Community on Children’s Understanding of Parental Role Negotiation
Sinno, S. M., Schuette, C. T., & Hellriegel, C. (2015) · Journal of Family Issues · doi:10.1177/0192513x15573867 · Cited by 4
“Fathers have been found to be involved in more play activities with their children when they are in the caretaking position (Paquette, 2004) and children might value this interaction more than societal norms of caretaking.”
Background
Inclusion and Engagement of Fathers in Behavioral Parent Training for ADHD: An Update and Recommendations
Isaacs, L., Webb, A., Jerome, S., & Fabiano, G. A. (2015) · The ADHD Report · doi:10.1521/adhd.2015.23.8.1 · Cited by 4
Liens entre perceptions d’attachement aux parents et acquisitions scolaires en primaire
Danet, M., Vilette, B., & Dione, A. (2019) · L’Année psychologique · doi:10.3917/anpsy1.192.0173 · Cited by 4
Okul Öncesi Dönemdeki Çocukların Sosyoekonomik Düzeylerine Göre Baba-Çocuk İlişkisi ve Akran Oyun Davranışları Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi
KARACA, N. H., Kaya, Ü. Ü., & Can, M. (2020) · e-Kafkas Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi · doi:10.30900/kafkasegt.653630 · Cited by 4
A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of the TYRO Dads Program
Kim, Y., & Jang, S. J. (2022) · Family Relations · doi:10.1111/fare.12641 · Cited by 4
OKUL ÖNCESİ DÖNEMDE BABA KATILIMINI ETKİLEYEN DEĞİŞKENLERİN İNCELENMESİ
Yoleri, S. (2022) · Uşak üniversitesi eğitim araştırmaları dergisi/Uşak Üniversitesi eğitim araştırmaları dergisi · doi:10.29065/usakead.1099707 · Cited by 4
Families, Life Courses and the Intergenerational Transmission of Social Disadvantage in Australia
Lee, R., Lam, J., Baxter, J., Povey, J., & Zubrick, S. R. (2022) · Life course research and social policies · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-12224-8_2 · Cited by 4
Gender Differences in Parents’ Prenatal Wishes for their Children’s Future: A Mixed-Methods Study
Wittenberg, B. M., Beverung, L. M., Ansari, A., Jacobvitz, D. B., & Hazen, N. L. (2017) · Journal of Child and Family Studies · doi:10.1007/s10826-017-0713-9 · Cited by 4
Sentiment de compétence paternelle et adaptation socioaffective des enfants de deux à six ans en contexte de précarité socioéconomique
Kettani, M., & Zaouche-Gaudron, C. (2011) · Pratiques Psychologiques · doi:10.1016/j.prps.2011.02.001 · Cited by 4
The differential contribution of maternal and paternal values to social competence of preschoolers
Bigras, M., & Crepaldi, M. A. (2012) · Early Child Development and Care · doi:10.1080/03004430.2012.723444 · Cited by 4
“These values might be conceptualised by researchers as typical of paternal values (e.g. Paquette, 2004).”
Background
Conscientiousness and attachment avoidance as moderators of the association between attachment anxiety and neuroticism
Holmberg, D., McWilliams, L. A., & Patterson, A. (2012) · Journal of Social and Personal Relationships · doi:10.1177/0265407512461199 · Cited by 4
“Another possibility is that fathers seem to play a particularly important role in socializing their children’s ability to cope with adversity and negative events (Paquette, 2004).”
Background
Father Involvement in Early Childhood Education
(2012) · SpringerReference · doi:10.1007/springerreference_69925 · Cited by 4
Father Involvement in Early Childhood Education
McWayne, C. M., & Campos, R. D. S. (2009) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-0-387-71799-9_174 · Cited by 4
Volume 24, Full Contents
Staff, M. (2021) · Midwest Social Sciences Journal · doi:10.22543/2766-0796.1072 · Cited by 3
Volume 23, Full Contents
Staff, M. (2020) · Midwest Social Sciences Journal · doi:10.22543/2766-0796.1036 · Cited by 3
Fathers, children, play and playfulness
Lane, S. J., & StGeorge, J. M. (2020) · International review of research in developmental disabilities · doi:10.1016/bs.irrdd.2020.07.005 · Cited by 3
Paternal involvement and peer competence in young children: the mediating role of playfulness
Liang, C., & Bi, X. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1477432 · Cited by 3
“This can have a stimulating effect on children’s physical, emotional, and cognitive development while promoting self-control and empathy towards others (Paquette, 2004).”
Influential
Affective Representation of Early Relationships with Parents and Current Anxiety and Depression
Tan, T. X., Liu, Y., Zhang, Q.-M., Li, G., Chen, X., & Li, J. (2022) · The Journal of Genetic Psychology · doi:10.1080/00221325.2022.2043231 · Cited by 3
“It has been theorized by Paquette (2004) that while child-mother attachment serves the purpose of calming and comforting a child in distress, child-father attachment activates the child’s outward interests and explorations through physical play (e.g., rough-and-tumble play).”
Background
Relações entre padrões de ativação pai-criança, funcionamento familiar e comportamento da criança
Bueno, R. K., Vieira, M. L., & Crepaldi, M. A. (2022) · Psicologia Teoria e Pesquisa · doi:10.1590/0102.3772e38311.pt · Cited by 3
Emotional Availability (EA) Brief: Single Session Feedback and Coaching for Improving Fathers’ Emotional Availability for Children Across a Wide Developmental Spectrum
Lincoln, M., Aichele, S., Clark, E. L. M., Dungan, M., Harvey, A. M., Hoyer, L., Jiao, Y., Joslin, S., Russell, F., & Biringen, Z. C. (2023) · OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine · doi:10.21926/obm.icm.2303032 · Cited by 3
Coparenting and Adolescent Academic Engagement: The Mediating Role of Parent–Child Communication Among a National Sample of Chinese Families
Ren, Y., Shi, J., Liu, A., Wang, X., Ying, J., & Wu, X. (2024) · Child & Family Social Work · doi:10.1111/cfs.13186 · Cited by 3
Effects of Father and Mother Involvement on Adolescents’ Emotional Well-being and their Differences
Chen, S., Gu, B.-B., Mei, X.-Z., & Zhou, Y.-Y. (2025) · Child Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/s12187-025-10220-2 · Cited by 3
“Second, mothers provide more comfort and emotional support to adolescents, while fathers often appear to interact with their children less sensitively than mothers do (Lewis & Lamb, 2003 ; Paquette, 2004 ; Shan & Hawkins, 2014; Yaffe, 2023).”
Review of attachment theory and parenting
BangHeeJeong (2009) · The Korean Journal of Woman Psychology · doi:10.18205/kpa.2009.14.1.004 · Cited by 3
The Mediating Role of Social Connectedness in the Relationship between University Students' Parental Acceptance / Rejection Perceptions and Loneliness Perceptions: A Structural Equation Model Study
Satan, A. (2020) · Educational policy analysis and strategic research · doi:10.29329/epasr.2020.270.22 · Cited by 3
“Paquette (2004) also argued that by proposing different models for father-child attachment and mother-child attachment, the father focused on around activating behaviour, the mother focused primarily on calming behaviour.”
Background
The Prenatal Couple Relationship: Relations with Postnatal Family Dynamics and Child Outcomes
Hazen, N. L., Aviles, A. I., Gallegos, M. I., Poulsen, H. B., Tian, Z., & Jacobvitz, D. B. (2021) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-51988-9_12 · Cited by 3
Attachment configurations to mothers and fathers during infancy predict compliance, defiance, and effortful control in toddlerhood
Kuo, P. X., & Braungart‐Rieker, J. M. (2021) · Early Childhood Research Quarterly · doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.09.006 · Cited by 6
The Role of Child’s Age, Sex, and Temperament in Father Involvement during the Pre-School Years
Santos, C., Monteiro, L., & Torres, N. (2022) · Children · doi:10.3390/children9091327 · Cited by 3
Fathering and Attachment
Dykas, M. J., & Smiler, A. P. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-14498-1_6 · Cited by 3
Children’s positive feelings at school during post-pandemic COVID-19: An exploratory research with photo elicitation interview
’Alwan, F. F., Azizah, T., & Rimuna, R. F. (2022) · INSPIRA Indonesian Journal of Psychological Research · doi:10.32505/inspira.v3i2.4991 · Cited by 3
“This shows that children tend to play, interact, and do physical activities that are more dominant (Paquette, 2004; Santrock, 2011), and this is closely related to children’s positive feelings.”
Background
Developmental antecedents of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in middle childhood: The role of father-child interactions and children’s emotional underregulation
Aquino, G. A., Perry, N. B., Aviles, A. I., Hazen, N. L., & Jacobvitz, D. B. (2023) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579423000408 · Cited by 7
Fathers’ unmodulated prosody in child-directed speech
Kondaurova, M. V., VanDam, M., Zheng, Q., & Welikson, B. (2023) · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · doi:10.1121/10.0022571 · Cited by 4
Out of the mouths of children: An investigation of 48- to 72-month-old children’s perceptions of father involvement
Varol, Ş. N. K., & Bekır, H. (2024) · European Early Childhood Education Research Journal · doi:10.1080/1350293x.2024.2391975 · Cited by 3
“Similarly, other studies have found that fathers engage in more physical activities with their sons, such as playing ball (Paquette 2004), while they tend to spend time with their daughters in quieter activities like reading books together (Cristo-faro and Tamis-LeMonda 2008; Leavell et al. 2012).”
Evaluating Brazilian Parenting: Evidence of Validity and Invariance for Fathers and Mothers
de Santis, L., & Noronha, A. P. P. (2024) · Ciencias Psicológicas · doi:10.22235/cp.v18i2.3756 · Cited by 3
“The inclusion of this new dimension aimed to update the instrument, including an important sphere of involvement for child development (Feldman & Shaw, 2021), historically attributed to men (Paquette, 2004), which can also be performed by mothers (Bueno et al., 2022).”
Background
Parent information seeking and sharing: Using unsupervised machine learning to identify common parenting issues
Eldeeb, N., Ren, C., & Shapiro, V. B. (2025) · Children and Youth Services Review · doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108210 · Cited by 6
Cool Papas: Six Fathers in Mid-Michigan Who Utilize Play in their Fathering Involvement to Help Their Children Learn
Ransaw, T. S. (2017) · Spectrum A Journal on Black Men · doi:10.2979/spectrum.6.1.01 · Cited by 4
“The function of play is particularly important to fatherhood because, as Paquette (2004) argued, there are gendered differences between the way mothers and fathers play with their children.”
BackgroundInfluential
Interrelatedness of children’s psychological and physiological responses to interparental conflict: A moderating role of harsh parenting
Gao, M. M., de Silva, A. D., Cummings, E. M., & Davies, P. T. (2019) · Social Development · doi:10.1111/sode.12376 · Cited by 3
“Another possible explanation for this finding is the differences between father-child and mother-child interactions: fathers tend to engage their children in more physical, stimulating, and arousing activities than mothers, forming a so-called “activation relationship” (Paquette, 2004).”
Background
Pathways to Parenting: The Emotional Journeys of Fathers as They Prepare to Parent a New Infant
Dayton, C. J., Malone, J. C., & Brown, S. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-51027-5_12 · Cited by 3
Recruiting and Engaging Men as Fathers in Social Work Practice
Fleming, J., King, A., & Hunt, T. (2014) · Advances in human services and public health (AHSPH) book series · doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-6563-7.ch012 · Cited by 3
The association between parental images and satisfaction in intimate relationships in a Northern Finland sample
Kiviniemi, A. A. I., WASZ‐HÖCKERT, O., Seitamo, L., Joskitt, L., Heikkinen, H., Moilanen, I., & Ebeling, H. E. (2011) · International Journal of Circumpolar Health · doi:10.3402/ijch.v70i2.17805 · Cited by 3
Interacción Temprana: Evaluación de la Fiabilidad del Sistema Observacional CITMI- R, Versión Inglesa
Santarén, R. M. T., Salvador, G., & Cerezo, M. Á. (2014) · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Cited by 3
FUNDAMENTOS HISTÓRICOS E EPISTEMOLÓGICOS NO ESTUDO DO COMPORTAMENTO PATERNO
Nunes, S. A. N., & Vieira, M. L. (2017) · Psicologia Argumento · doi:10.7213/psicolargum.v27i57.19625 · Cited by 3
How Does Sexual Orientation Affect Perceptions of Single People?
Morris, W. L., Slonim, G., & Osburn, B. K. (2016) · Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research · doi:10.24839/2164-8204.jn21.3.183 · Cited by 3
An Analysis of Parental Factors Influencing the Ethnic Identity of Multicultural Adolescents: Comparison of Maternal and Paternal Factors
Kim, H.-S., & Chung, G. H. (2019) · 한국가정관리학회지 · doi:10.7466/jkhma.2019.37.4.57 · Cited by 3
The Role of Fathers in the Intergenerational Transmission of (Dis)advantages: Linking Sociological Stratification Questions to Developmental Psychology Research
Keizer, R. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-51027-5_4 · Cited by 4
Global Voices: Personal and Professional Lived Experiences of Black and Brown Women’s Culture in Science
Bayne, G. U. (2022) · Springer international handbooks of education · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-83122-6_45 · Cited by 3
Fathering attitudes and father involvement
Lewis, J. (2011) · Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) · doi:10.17615/54s2-2017 · Cited by 3
The Dilemma of minors' access to adult content on the Internet: A proposed warnings solution
Zaikina-Montgomery, H. (2020) · doi:10.34917/2292454 · Cited by 3
Envolvimento Paterno com Filhos Adotivos e a Estrutura Familiar
Bueno, R. K., Vieira, M. L., & Crepaldi, M. A. (2017) · Psicologia Teoria e Pesquisa · doi:10.1590/0102.3772e3342 · Cited by 3
A Comparison of Attachment representations to Mother and Father using the MCAST
Folco, S. D., Martini, P. S., Piermattei, C., Zavattini, G. C., & Psouni, E. (2020) · Scandinavian Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/sjop.12611 · Cited by 3
Perspectives nouvelles sur l’attachement à partir d’études sur les problèmes extériorisés des enfants
Paquette, D. (2023) · Revue de psychoéducation · doi:10.7202/1097122ar · Cited by 3
Self-citation
Transition to parenthood after assisted reproductive treatment: Follow-up study of singleton pregnancies
Repokari, L. (2008) · Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja · Cited by 3
Aggression and Competition
Paquette, D. (2011) · The Encyclopedia of Peace Psychology · doi:10.1002/9780470672532.wbepp006 · Cited by 3
Self-citation
Play and psycho-social health of boys and girls aged four to six
Berkhout, L. (2012) · Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) · Cited by 3
‘Anxiety in the family: a genetically informed analysis of transactional associations between mother, father and child anxiety symptoms’
(2020) · doi:10.13056/acamh.12015 · Cited by 3
Volume 22, Full Contents
Staff, M. (2020) · Midwest Social Sciences Journal · doi:10.22543/2766-0796.1019 · Cited by 3

Authors: Paquette, D.
Affiliations: Université de Montréal (CA)
Corresponding author: Paquette, Daniel
ORCID: Paquette, Daniel
Venue: Human Development
Publisher: S. Karger AG
Published: 2004
Volume: 47
Issue: 4
Pages: 193-219
ISSN: 0018-716X (ISSN-L)
1423-0054
DOI: 10.1159/000078723
OpenAlex: W2030787081
Cited by: 904
References: 136
Citations by year: 2026: 60 · 2025: 70 · 2024: 50 · 2023: 53 · 2022: 66 · 2021: 81 · 2020: 66 · 2019: 54 · 2018: 44 · 2017: 47 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 39 · 2014: 41 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 50
FWCI: 18.04
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.karger.com/Services/SiteLicenses (vor)
www.karger.com/Services/SiteLicenses (tdm)
Locations: Human Development (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords: father-child relationship, attachment, father-child interaction, maternal attachment, rough-and-tumble play, physical play, child development, openness to the world, risk-taking, affective bonds, obedience

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

Theorizing the father–child relationship: mechanisms and developmental outcomes

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks