Personal identity development as a foundation for parenthood in young adulthood: 7-year longitudinal associations with the desire to have children, actual parenthood, and parental identity.

The transition to parenthood is a transformative milestone in young adulthood, profoundly reshaping one's sense of self. Although young adults differ widely in the steps they have taken toward parenthood, research on the developmental foundations of the parental role remains limited. This study examined how personal identity development-both in terms of levels and within-person changes in overall commitment and ruminative exploration-relates to three key indicators of the transition to parenthood: the desire to have children, actual parental status, and parental identity. The analytical sample consisted of 413 participants (Mage = 21.9 years, SDage = 1.1, 54% women at T1) from the Flemish Study on Parenting, Personality, and Development. Participants reported on their personal identity at T1 (2015) and T2 (2022), with parenthood indicators measured at T2. Data were analyzed using latent change models. Results revealed that individuals with higher levels of overall commitment were more likely to report a future or realized desire for parenthood compared to the reference group. In contrast, both higher levels of and increases in ruminative exploration were associated with reduced odds of having a realized desire for children compared to a future desire. Regarding actual parental status, higher levels of and within-person increases in ruminative exploration were negatively related to the likelihood of having children. For parental identity, both levels and changes in overall commitment positively predicted parental commitment, while levels and changes in ruminative exploration predicted parental rumination. These findings highlight the role of personal identity development in parental identity and suggest that interventions aimed at reducing ruminative exploration may help young adults navigate the transition to parenthood more effectively. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).