Families created by donor insemination: Father-child relationships at age 7

Casey, Polly; Jadva, Vasanti; Blake, Lucy; Golombok, Susan

Abstract

This study examined the psychological well-being of fathers and father–child relationships in families with a 7-year-old child conceived by donor insemination. Twenty-four donor insemination families and comparison groups of 25 egg donation and 32 unassisted-conception families were assessed using a standardized interview and questionnaires administered to the father, and father–child dyads participated in an observational assessment of father–child interaction. On the basis of perspectives from Parental Investment Theory and stress-related models, it was expected that donor insemination fathers would show raised levels of psychological problems and a poorer quality of parenting and have more conflictual relationships with their children than genetically related fathers in egg donation and unassisted-conception families. These hypotheses were not supported by the findings. Instead, it seems that commitment to parenthood may be more important than genetic relatedness for positive father–child relationships.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Jul 1, 2013
• Publication Date: Aug 31, 2013
• Deposit Date: Jan 11, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Marriage and Family
• Print ISSN: 0022-2445
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-3737
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 75
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 858-870
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11601086