Optimism and parenthood: Nonlinear effects of optimism on parents' occupational and psychosocial outcomes

We investigated whether adolescent optimism moderates the association between parenthood and adult psychosocial and occupational outcomes. We examined 1596 German adolescents (63.8% female, baseline M age = 12.9, 37.6% were parents at T2) at two measurement points 18 years apart using latent moderated regression models. At age 30, parents had lower occupational status and income, but higher life satisfaction than nonparents. Optimism predicted higher income, life satisfaction, social integration, and fewer psychosomatic and depressive symptoms in parents and nonparents. Optimism moderated the association between parenthood and mental health nonlinearly, with poorer outcomes among parents observed only at very low optimism levels (approximately two standard deviations below the mean). These findings highlight optimism as a long-term resource promoting adaptation to challenges.