Father involvement in pregnancy and attachment to their baby: Depression and partner relationships in a sample of Black fathers.

Black fathers, particularly those who are low-income, unmarried, and from minoritized communities, face significant barriers to full participation in their children's lives. Prenatal challenges include scheduling conflicts, living arrangements, and relationship dynamics with the child's mother. These factors critically impact early paternal involvement and infant bonding. Despite the importance of father involvement, research on Black fathers' prenatal involvement and infant attachment remains limited. This study examines 75 Black fathers in the United States, investigating how relationship quality and paternal depressive symptoms influence prenatal involvement and early infant attachment. The research seeks to illuminate the complex interpersonal dynamics that shape paternal involvement during pregnancy and infancy, and addresses a crucial gap in understanding Black fatherhood experiences. We found that fathers' depressive symptoms were negatively associated with the quality of their relationship with the mother of their child (B = -1.398, SE = .524, p = .009, LLCI = -2.443, ULCI = -.353). The findings suggest interparental relationship quality and paternal depressive symptoms are key interpersonal and personal factors that are associated with father involvement in pregnancy and early infant attachment with the baby.