Premium
Keeping a child's donor sperm conception secret is not linked to family and child functioning during middle childhood: An Australian comparative study
Author(s) -
Kovacs Gabor Thomas,
Wise Sarah,
Finch Sue
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.734
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1479-828X
pISSN - 0004-8666
DOI - 10.1111/ajo.12349
Subject(s) - secrecy , donor insemination , psychology , developmental psychology , medicine , family medicine , artificial insemination , pregnancy , political science , law , biology , genetics
Background and Aim Controversy exists as to whether children conceived using donor sperm should be told about their origins and the possible deleterious effects of secrecy. Materials and Methods The Follow‐Up of Children Conceived through Donor Insemination research compares ‘family functioning’ and ‘child well‐being’ in 62 families where donor‐conceived children aged between 5 and 13 years had been ‘told’ ( N = 29) and ‘not told’ ( N = 33) of their genetic heritage. Couples were treated through the Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research Reproductive Medicine Clinic. Standardised measures of family functioning and child well‐being collected from mothers were modelled to estimate mean differences according to knowledge of conception. Results Mean differences between the two ‘knowledge of conception’ groups were generally very small and not statistically significant; adjustment for covariates did not make a substantive difference to the interpretation of group differences. Scores on family functioning and child well‐being measures were within normal limits for both the ‘told’ and ‘not told’ groups. Conclusion Further research on parents' experiences would usefully inform discussion on the forms of education and support that would encourage parents to engage with the issues of disclosure and nondisclosure, and promote transparency as well as societal awareness, acceptance and understanding of this method of family formation.