Parental identity status in emerging and early adulthood, personality, and well‐being: A cluster analytic approach

Abstract

The present study was the first one in which parental identity statuses were investigated from the point of view of the processual identity model. The aim was the observation of individual differences among parents in respect of their parental identity (identity statuses) and differences between parents with a different identity status. In the study, 709 parents between the ages of 20 and 40 participated (64.8% women). The obtained results support the hypothesis that five different identity statuses in the parental domain could be identified, that is: Achievement, Foreclosure, Searching Moratorium, Moratorium, and Diffusion. Furthermore, hypothesized differences between different statuses regarding personality traits and well‐being have also been observed. The present study suggests that parental identity, which is often overlooked by neo‐Eriksonian identity researchers, is a fully‐fledged identity domain related to parents’ personality and well‐being and contextual factors associated with family life. The importance of the obtained results for our understanding of parental identity formation is discussed in the article.

Parental identity formation in mothers is linked to borderline and depressive symptoms: A person-centered analyses

“…The obtained results support Piotrowski (2021a) conclusions that five different statuses of parental identity can be observed, similarly as in other domains . Obtaining the same identity statuses in the mothers' group as in the different-gender sample (Piotrowski, 2021a), confirms the reliability of the analytical approach used. Mothers with Achievement and Foreclosure statuses, both characterized by high commitment and low reconsideration of commitment, experienced the lowest level of mental health problems, while the highest BPD and depression symptoms were observed in Moratorium status, which is in line with the previous studies (Piotrowski, 2021a).…”

“…The five cluster solution, presented in Figure 1, explained from 65 to 72% of the variance of the particular dimensions. The obtained identity statuses were comparable to those observed earlier by Piotrowski in the same identity domain (Piotrowski, 2021a), and by in the educational and relational identity domains.…”

“…In his subsequent study Piotrowski (2021a) showed that similarly to other identity domains studied within the Meeus-Crocetti model, such as education, work, and partner/best friend relationship ( Crocetti et al, 2008 ), in the parental domain also the five different identity statuses (specific configuration of the three identity processes in a person) can be distinguished: Achievement (high commitment and in-depth exploration, low reconsideration of commitment), Foreclosure (high commitment, low exploration and reconsideration of commitment), Searching moratorium (low commitment and reconsideration of commitment, and high in-depth exploration), Difussion (low commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment), and Moratorium (low commitment and in-depth exploration, high reconsideration of commitment). The study showed that while women were more likely than men to develop the most adaptive Achieved identity status, at the same time about a quarter of mothers were characterized by relatively low identity commitment (Diffusion and Moratorium statuses).…”

“…Being a parent is a complex and ambiguous experience that may be related both to satisfaction and self-development and to stress, burden, and burnout ( Antonucci and Mikus, 1988 ; Hutteman et al, 2014 ; Doss and Rhoades, 2017 ; Mikolajczak et al, 2021 ). Recently, it was suggested that the sense of parental identity can explain these diverse trajectories in parents ( Piotrowski, 2018 , 2021a ; Meca et al, 2020 ; Schrooyen et al, 2021 ). When a parent has too few resources (psychological, social, relational, financial, etc.…”

“…Parental identity is being defined as the degree to which the role of a parent is seen as important when compared to other social roles ( Maurer et al, 2001 ), as a dynamic self-definition as a parent ( Delmore-Ko, 2000 ), or firmness of commitment to the parenting domain ( Fadjukoff et al, 2016 ). Recently, Piotrowski (2018 , 2021a) has used the Meeus-Crocetti processual identity model ( Crocetti et al, 2008 ) as a starting point and defined parental identity as the degree of commitment to and identification with the parental role. According to this processual approach, when a person becomes a parent, a process of identity commitment takes place, resulting in a baseline level of self-confidence and identification with this new role.…”