Understanding Motivation for Parenthood in Emerging Adults: Scale Validation and Psychosocial Correlates of Attachment, Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy

Motivation for parenthood develops well before individuals face concrete reproductive decisions, yet its structure during emerging adulthood remains insufficiently understood. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, this study examined the psychometric properties of an adapted Motivation to Have a Child Scale (MCS) for non-parent emerging adults, and its associations with key psychosocial characteristics. Participants were 414 Italian emerging adults without children (80.2% women). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the expected five-factor structure, showing good model fit, satisfactory internal consistency, and measurement invariance across gender. More autonomous motivations were positively associated with self-esteem and self-efficacy and negatively associated with attachment insecurity, whereas controlled and amotivated orientations were linked to less adaptive psychosocial profiles. Motivation for parenthood is already differentiated in emerging adulthood and embedded in individuals’ psychological and relational functioning. The adapted MCS represents a reliable tool for future research examining how emerging adults construct and regulate future parenthood-related goals.