The role of attachment and partner presence on mothers' and fathers' autonomic physiological, observed, and subjective responding to infant distress.

This study examined the role of partner presence and attachment representations on parents' responding to infant crying. Data were collected from 131 mothers (78.6% White/non-Hispanic) and 131 fathers (74.8% White/non-Hispanic) of a 6-month-old infant from the midwestern United States between 2015 and 2017. Preregistered analyses indicated parents with higher secure base script knowledge exhibited heightened electrodermal reactivity while listening to infant crying in the presence (vs. absence) of their partner, reflective of emotional arousal consistent with the demand of serving as a supportive presence during interpersonal challenge. Aligning with the motivational underpinnings of the insecure attachment patterns, the presence of a partner higher on hyperactivation while listening to infant crying was associated with parents' greater negative emotional reactivity, whereas the presence of a partner higher on deactivation while listening to infant crying was associated with elevated electrodermal reactivity. Highlighting the importance of including fathers, gender effects emerged primarily for fathers and suggested that less insecure fathers exhibited more empathic emotional responding when listening to infant cries alone compared to when mothers were present. These findings highlight the utility of adopting an integrative approach to better understand the underlying dynamics that unfold when mothers and fathers respond to infant cries.