Personality Trait Development During the Transition to Parenthood

Abstract

Social investment theory (SIT) proposes that the transition to parenthood triggers positive personality trait change in early adulthood. Using data from a representative sample of first-time parents compared to nonparents, the results of rigorous tests do not support the propositions of SIT. Specifically, we found no evidence for the proposition that parents show more pronounced mean-level increases in emotional stability, agreeableness, and conscientiousness compared to nonparents. We did find that agreeableness and openness changed depending on how long someone was in the parent role. Finally, our results suggest that high extraversion and low openness in both genders and high conscientiousness in females predict the likelihood to enter into parenthood. Discussion focuses on why this transition seems to be unrelated to mean-level personality trait change and the implications of these results for SIT.

Stability and Change in Self-Control during the Transition to Parenthood

“…This latter study also found that, in the years after childbirth, parents decreased in emotional stability, offsetting the positive anticipation effect on this trait. In contrast, two other studies with 2-wave designs did not find evidence for change in any of the Big Five personality traits during the transition to parenthood (Neyer & Asendorpf, 2001;van Scheppingen et al, 2016). For self-esteem, a recent 5-wave longitudinal study of newlyweds found sudden declines in the year after childbirth and gradual decreases in the following 3 years after .…”

“…Using 2-wave longitudinal data with a 4-year time interval, van Scheppingen et al (2016) have found a small anticipatory increase in fathers' openness in the years before childbirth, as compared to a control group of nonparents. Second, Denissen et al (2018) have used data from up to 8 measurements of Big Five personality traits across 9 years and found that parents increased in emotional stability in the years before childbirth.…”

“…Recently, however, several longitudinal studies have examined the associations between parenthood and Big Five personality traits (e.g., van Scheppingen et al, 2016;Denissen, Luhmann, Chung, Bleidorn, 2018) as well as self-esteem van Scheppingen et al, 2018). We refer to the results of this line of research in deriving hypotheses concerning both cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between self-control and parenthood.…”

“…Results from longitudinal studies indicate that such differences already exist before birth of the child. Pre-existing differences might partly be explained by selection effects meaning that personality may predict the probability to become a parent (Hutteman, Bleidorn, Penke, & Denissen, 2013;Jokela, Hintsa, Hintsanen, & Keltikangas-Järvinen, 2009;Jokela, Kivimäki, Elovainio, & Keltikangas-Järvinen, 2010;van Scheppingen et al, 2016, but see Specht, Egloff, & Schmukle, 2011). Studies that focused on adult couples in long-term relationships (i.e., the sample of the current study) found that couples' decision to plan having offspring may be predicted by personality traits that reflect higher levels of maturity and positive adjustment (e.g., Berg et al, 2013;Hutteman et al, 2013).…”

“…Because couples usually plan parenthood well in advance, personality changes may already take place in the years before childbirth van Scheppingen et al, 2016). Specifically, the desire to have children may be associated with the desire or goal to increase in traits that would fit the parent role, such as self-control, which might lead to anticipatory changes in this trait .…”