A 2018 study from the American Psychological Association looked at the ties between father involvement and the security of father-child attachment. Researchers studied 80 families in Midwestern states.
The study found that increased levels of paternal involvement indicated higher levels of attachment security. On workdays, father involvement in caregiving was related to greater attachment security, whereas involvement in play was related to less attachment security. Conversely, on non-workdays, father involvement in play was the better predictor of attachment security while involvement in caregiving was much less related to attachment security.
Overall, fathers who spent more time playing with their children on non-workdays and were more involved in caregiving during weekdays had better, more secure relationships with their children.