Daddy issues have become way more common these days. To elaborate it, Mary Ainsworth said 

“How we attach to our parents in childhood echoes in how we relate to partners in adulthood.” 

“Daddy issues” refers to emotional and behavioural difficulties in relationships that stem from unresolved conflicts or an absent or problematic relationship with one’s father.  These issues can manifest in various ways, including difficulty forming healthy relationships, seeking validation from elder men or displaying patterns of attachment and insecurity.  The connection between attachment styles and daddy issues is something we direly need to pay attention to.

Attachment Styles and Their Impact

Attachment style refers to the patterns of behavior and emotional bonds formed in early childhood with primary caregivers, which influence how we relate to others in relationships throughout our lives. Below we describe how daddy issues have an impact on each attachment style:

• Secure Attachment: Individuals with attachment styles have fathers who attentively cater to all the physical and emotional needs of their children. Such individuals enjoy a long, healthy, and happy relationship. These people keep a positive image of their partner as well and do not face daddy issues. 
• Anxious-Preoccupied Attachment: These individuals receive inconsistent care from their father and they fear the same trait in their adult relationships. So, they seek reassurance from time to time from the fear of being abandoned and neglected.
• Dismissive-Avoidant Attachment: Individuals having fathers who are emotionally unavailable for their children run away from relationships and emotional attachment. They just don’t want to get hurt again.
• Fearful-Avoidant Attachment: Such individuals run away from romantic relationships and intimacy. They have to avoid getting attached to anybody because of the previous trauma of fear, terror, abuse, or neglect by their father.

Signs of Daddy Issues

Daddy’s issues originate from the past bad attachment experience with their father. Below are some of the signs :

• Low self-esteem:  Insecure attachment results in low self-esteem because people try to find deficiency in themselves as a result of being rejected.
• High sexual urge: Women with daddy issues may have an abnormally high sexual urge all the time to find love from their partner which they did not receive in their childhood.
• Being jealous and possessive: People with such issues always remain possessive about their partner. They may even feel jealous when someone tries to be friendly with their partner. This results in a lot of misunderstandings and relationship disputes. 
• Dating older men: Women with daddy issues try to find a replacement for their father’s love. Therefore, they get attracted to older men and try to date them.

Is it treatable?

Since it is a psychological condition, yes people with daddy issues can be treated using various approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Attachment-Based Therapy.

Therapists help women to explore their attachment style and accept their relationship with their fathers. They convince and educate them to deal with their insecurities. 

People with daddy issues are almost always struggling a lot when it comes to relationships. It is recommended that they seek professional help and try to build healthy relationships of trust with their partners gradually.

Partners should also trust the process and cater to them with emotional presence, understanding, and care. They should be emotionally as well as physically available for those with daddy issues, to help them get rid of this condition forever.