Parental identity is a conceptually important psychological construct, yet past work evaluating this construct is scant and its causes, its correlates, and its trajectory over time are poorly understood. Further, little is known about its consequences on well-being and the role parental identity plays in how people respond to the birth of a child. The present research is the first to provide a comprehensive look at the nature of parental identity, its correlates and its implications on reactions to becoming a parent. This research is also the first to evaluate the trajectory of parental identity over the life course and its pattern of change in response to the birth of a child. Nationally representative panel studies from German, British, and Australian households were used to examine these questions – utilizing data from over 55,000 respondents collected over 30 years. Results show that parental identity is associated with several important demographic characteristics and outcomes, and that these associations are generally consistent across three distinct national samples. Parental identity shows a consistent trajectory across the lifespan, appearing to rise gradually from adolescence into early adulthood, then leveling off as individuals move into their 30s and remaining relatively stable into older age. Childbirth is also associated with large changes in parental identity, and these changes persist for many years following birth. Finally, the results of this research indicates that parental identity is positively associated with increased SWB in the years before birth, and is associated with an added, long term boost in SWB following childbirth in Germany, Great Britain and Australia.
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