Abstract
Theories and laboratory research in social psychology associate parenthood with increased vigilance and distrust. Yet, longitudinal studies examining whether the transition to parenthood affects trust in real life are lacking. We examined the temporal dynamics of trust surrounding the transition to parenthood in a sample of adults followed for up to 12 years. We used discontinuous change models and propensity score matching to compare first-time parents with matched childless individuals. Parenthood predicted a gradual trust increase following childbirth. The effect of the transition was unidirectional: Baseline trust level did not predict the likelihood of parenthood in the follow-up years. These findings contribute to the literature on how major life events, such as the transition to parenthood, shape interpersonal trust.
Highlights
Theories and laboratory research in social psychology associate parenthood with increased vigilance and distrust
We examined the temporal dynamics of trust surrounding the transition to parenthood in a sample of adults followed for up to 12 years
To make sure that the potential effect of the transition to parenthood on trust is due to experiencing the transition, we selected individuals who were childless at baseline and compared those who became parents during the study to those who remained childless, using the propensity score matching
Summary
Existing theoretical and empirical literature makes opposing pre dictions regarding how the transition to parenthood could affect trust. Compared to non-parents, parents display a lower investment risk tolerance (Chaulk et al, 2003) Consistent with these findings, further work has shown that making parents’ identity salient in an experiment resulted in increased vigilance and decreased trust in strangers (Eibach & Mock, 2011). The second component of the parental care moti vational system – the motivation to nurture, that is, to provide support and care (Hofer et al, 2018) – may lead to an increase in trust This motivation is often demonstrated by individuals’ reactions to babies and children. None of these studies followed individuals through the transition to parenthood and were not suitable to estimate the effect of the transition on trust development
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