Stigma, disclosure, and family functioning among parents of children conceived through donor insemination.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the influence of gender, male infertility factor, and other demographic variables on stigma and whether parents tell their children that they were conceived by donor insemination (DI) and to ascertain if stigma and the disclosure decision affect parental bonding with the child or the quality of the interparental relationship.

DESIGN

One hundred eighty-four San Francisco Bay Area couples who had become parents by DI were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire.

SETTING

A private infertility practice.

PATIENT(S): Eighty-two men and 94 women who completed the questionnaire.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

A questionnaire assessing disclosure, stigma, parental bonding, and the quality of the interparental relationship.

RESULT(S): Factors that increased the couple's likelihood of disclosure included younger age, azoospermia, lower stigma scores, and having more than one DI child. Fathers who scored higher on stigma reported less parental warmth and parental fostering of independence.

CONCLUSION(S): Because the decision regarding disclosure of DI treatment was not linked to parental bonding with the child or to the quality of the interparental relationship, we cannot conclude that nondisclosure is harmful to family relationships or is a symptom of family problems. The husband's perceptions of stigma however, may affect the father--child relationship adversely.