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Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on June 22, 2007
Human Reproduction 2007 22(9):2566-2571; doi:10.1093/humrep/dem174
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Topic avoidance and family functioning in families conceived with donor insemination

Marilyn S. Paul and Roni Berger1

School of Social Work, Adelphi University, 1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530, USA

1 Correspondence address. Tel: +1-516-877-4365; Fax: +1-516-877-4392; E-mail: berger{at}adelphi.edu

BACKGROUND: While a move away from non-disclosure and secrecy toward more openness is demonstrated in the changing practices of donor insemination worldwide, scholars and practitioners continue to debate the effects of disclosure versus secrecy. This study examines if an association exists between adult donor offspring's perceptions of their parents' use of topic avoidance to maintain secrecy, and their perceptions of their family's functioning.

METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, a convenience sample of 69 young adult donor offspring completed a demographic questionnaire, a topic avoidance scale relative to each of their rearing parents, and the Beavers Self Report Family Instrument.

RESULTS: There was a moderate significant inverse correlation between family functioning and topic avoidance in general, as well as for donor insemination-related topics, for both mothers (r = –0.55, r = –0.40, respectively, P ≤ 0.01) and fathers (r = –0.53, r = –0.50, respectively, P ≤ 0.01), even after controlling for demographic variables. Disclosure by both parents jointly was associated with higher family functioning than disclosure under other circumstances.

CONCULSIONS: While this study is limited by the convenience sampling, the correlational design and measuring offspring's subjective perceptions, findings suggest that the information about donor conception should not be held secret from offspring and that the parents should disclose jointly.

Key words: family secrets/topic avoidance/donor insemination/family functioning/disclosure

Submitted on February 23, 2007; resubmitted on May 11, 2007; accepted on May 18, 2007.


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