A R T I C L E FATHER–CHILD AND MOTHER–CHILD INTERACTION IN FAMILIES WITH A CHILD FEEDING DISORDER: THE ROLE OF PATERNAL INVOLVEMENT NAAMA ATZABA-PORIA, GAL MEIRI, MAAIAN MILLIKOVSKY, ANAT BARKAI, MAAYAN DUNAEVSKY-IDAN, AND BARUCH YERUSHALMI Ben-Gurion University ABSTRACT: To date, research about feeding disorder (FD) has focused almost exclusively on the mother– child dyad, ignoring fathers’ roles. The current study investigated father–child interactions with children having FD. The sample consisted of 67 children (1–3 years old) and their mothers and fathers. Thirty-four children, diagnosed with a nonorganic-based FD (FD group) and 33 children without an FD (control group) were matched for age, gender, birth order, and maternal education. Data were collected during home visits. Mothers were interviewed about their and the father’s involvement in childcare. In addition, mother–child and father–child interactions were videotaped during play and feeding. Both mothers and fathers from the FD group experienced less positive parent–child interactions than did parents in the control group. Furthermore, mothers in the FD group reported greater maternal versus paternal childcare involvement than did control group mothers. Finally, FD group mothers exhibited more parental sensitivity than did fathers during feeing interactions; however, this difference was observed only when coupled with low paternal involvement. In families where fathers were highly involved, no difference was evident in paternal and maternal sensitivity. These findings highlight the importance of fathers’ involvement, especially in families with children exhibiting an FD. RESUMEN: Hasta la fecha, la investigaci´ on acerca de los trastornos en la alimentaci ´ on se ha enfocado casi exclusivamente en la d´ ıada madre-infante, ignorando el papel de los pap´ as. El presente estudio investig´ o las interacciones entre pap´ a e infante con ni ˜ nos que presentaban trastornos de alimentaci ´ on (FD). El grupo muestra consisti´ o en 67 ni˜ nos (de 1 a 3 a˜ nos de edad), sus mam´ as y sus pap´ as. Treinta y cuatro ni˜ nos, a quienes se les hab´ ıa diagnosticado con trastornos de alimentaci´ on con base no org´ anica (grupo FD) y treinta y tres ni˜ nos sin trastornos de alimentaci´ on (grupo de control) fueron aparejados seg´ un la edad, el sexo, el orden de nacimiento y la educaci´ on de la madre. La informaci´ on fue recogida durante visitas a casa. Las madres fueron entrevistadas acerca de su participaci´ on y la de los pap´ as en el cuidado del ni˜ no. Adicionalmente, se grabaron en v´ ıdeo las interacciones mam´ a-infante y pap´ a-infante durante el juego y la alimentaci´ on. Tanto las mam´ as como los pap´ as del grupo FD experimentaron menos positivas Direct correspondence to: Naama Atzaba-Poria, Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel; e-mail: nap@bgu.ac.il. INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Vol. 31(6), 682–698 (2010) C  2010 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI: 10.1002/imhj.20278 682