Self-esteem and problem behavior in Dutch adolescents conceived through sperm donation in planned lesbian parent families

Bibliographic Data

ID12459526
AuthorsHenny Bos (0000-0003-0559-6088, University of Amsterdam, corresponding author), Loes Van Rijn‐van Gelderen (0000-0002-2324-4687, University of Amsterdam), Nanette Gartrell (0000-0002-9001-4419, Williams Institute Visiting Distinguished Scholar, U.C.L.A. School of Law; guest appointee, University of Amsterdam)
Year2019
Volume24
Issue1
Pages41-55
Publication date2019-06-20
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Lesbian Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1089-4160 • E-ISSN: 1540-3548
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10894160.2019.1625671
OpenAlexW2951354472
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited33

Until 2004, Dutch women seeking donor insemination through medical facilities could opt for open-identity or anonymous donors. Since then, Dutch law only permits open-identity donation. The present study compared the well-being of adolescents conceived before 2004 through known, open-identity, and anonymous donors, and born into planned lesbian parent families (i.e., the mothers identified as lesbian before the children were conceived). The sixty-seven participating adolescents (Mage = 16.04 years) completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Youth Self-Report, and answered questions about their donor. Thirty-three were conceived through known, twenty-two through open-identity, and twelve through anonymous donors. No significant associations were found between donor type and self-esteem or problem behavior. Likewise, no significant differences were found on these two variables for adolescents with known donors who did or did not play important roles in their lives. For adolescents conceived with sperm from as-yet unknown donors (open-identity or anonymous), feeling uncomfortable about not knowing the donor was associated with lower self-esteem and more externalizing problem behavior. That donor type was found to have no bearing on adolescent self-esteem or problem behavior may be useful to prospective lesbian parents

Artificial insemination · Developmental psychology · Donation · Donor insemination · Feeling · Identity (music · Lesbian · Pregnancy · Self-esteem · Sperm · Sperm donation · Child Welfare and Adoption · Clinical Psychology · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Medicine · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Technologies · Social Psychology