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.

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Rough-and-tumble play (RTP) is a common form of play between fathers and children. It has been suggested that RTP can contribute to the development of selfregulation. This study addressed the hypothesis that the frequency of father-child RTP is related to the frequency of physically aggressive behavior in early childhood. This relationship was expected to be moderated by the dominance relationship between father and son during play. Eighty-five children between the ages of 2 and 6 years were videotaped during a free-play session with their fathers in their homes and questionnaire data was collected about father-child RTP frequency during the past year. The play dyads were rated for the degree to which the father dominated play interactions. A significant statistical interaction revealed that RTP frequency was associated with higher levels of physical aggression in children whose fathers were less dominant. These results indicate that RTP is indeed related to physical aggression, though this relationship is moderated by the degree to which the father is a dominant playmate.

Cette étude démontre que les cinq échelles de maltraitance des versions longue et courte du CTQ sont valides et utilisables avec la population francophone. Elle montre aussi que la négligence émotionnelle est la forme de maltraitance la plus fréquente dans notre échantillon de la population générale, alors que la négligence physique est celle qui est la moins fréquente. Les prévalences d’abus physique, d’abus émotionnel et d’abus sexuel de notre échantillon de convenance correspondent grosso modo aux taux généralement obtenus auprès d’échantillons non cliniques. Enfin, les femmes présentent une plus forte co-occurrence des différentes formes de maltraitance que les hommes, impliquant tout particulièrement l’abus sexuel.This study demonstrates that the five maltreatment scales in the long and short versions of the CTQ are valid and usable with French-speaking populations. It also shows emotional neglect to be the most common form of maltreatment in its general population sample, and physical neglect to be the least common. Physical, emotional and sexual abuse prevalences in the convenience sample roughly correspond to the rates generally obtained in non-clinical samples. Finally, women in the sample display greater co-occurrence of different forms of maltreatment, especially involving sexual abuse, than men.Este estudio demuestra que las cinco escalas de maltrato de las versiones larga y corta del CTQ son válidas e utilizables con la población francófona. También muestra que la negligencia emocional es la forma de maltrato más frecuente en nuestra muestra de población general, mientras que la negligencia física es la menos frecuente. Las prevalencias del abuso físico, el abuso emocional y el abuso sexual de nuestra muestra conveniente corresponden grosso modo a las tasas que generalmente se obtienen de las muestras no clínicas. Por último, las mujeres presentan una mayor co-ocurrencia de las diferentes formas de maltrato, que implican particularmente el abuso sexual, que los hombres.Este estudo demonstra que as cinco escalas de maus tratos das versões longa e curta do Centro de Toxicologia do Quebec (CTQ) são válidas e utilizáveis com a população francófona. Ela demonstra também que a negligência emocional é a forma de mau trato mais freqüente em nossa amostragem da população geral, enquanto que a negligência física é a menos freqüente. As prevalências de abusos físicos, abusos emocionais e abusos sexuais de nossa amostragem de conveniência correspondem, em geral, às taxas geralmente obtidas com amostragens não clínicas. Finalmente, as mulheres apresentam uma mais forte ocorrência simultânea de diferentes formas de maus tratos que os homens, implicando, principalmente, o abuso sexual