Telling donor-conceived children about their conception
Evaluation of the use of the Donor Conception Network children’s books
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13112117 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Joyce Harper (0000-0001-6364-2367, University College London, corresponding author), Ishaq Abdul (London Women's Clinic), Nina Barnsley, Yael Ilan-Clarke |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Pages | 1-7 |
| Publication date | 2021-06-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Reproductive Biomedicine & Society Online (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2405-6618 • E-ISSN: 2405-6618 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.rbms.2021.06.002 |
| PMID | 34604554 |
| OpenAlex | W3174645337 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 14 |
If parents have used donated gametes, it is a personal choice whether they disclose to their children. For those that do, there is, however, little advice on how to tell their children. The Donor Conception Network (DCN) has made a series of books to help parents disclose. This study evaluated parents' experience of using these books. An online survey with both quantitative and qualitative questions was used. The DCN membership and social media were used to publicize the survey, and 108 responses were analysed. At the time of conception, the parents' family types were mainly mother and father (56.5%) and solo mothers (36.1%). The method of conception was mainly donor spermatozoa (55.6%) followed by donor egg (38.0%), double donation (8.3%) and one case of surrogacy. Most parents had read the book to their children before 2 years of age (76.9%). Before reading the books, some of the parents had some confidence in telling (43.5%) or were very confident in telling (30.6%). After reading the books, 60.2% reported having much more confidence in telling. Most parents felt their children had no understanding (76.8%) or only some understanding (22.3%) of donor conception before reading the books. After reading the books most parents felt their children's understanding had increased (71.3%). Most parents felt that reading the books had given them more confidence in using donor conception language (90.7%). The use of books to tell children about their conception may be a useful resource for parents wishing to be open with their children
Developmental psychology · Donation · Reading (process · Assisted Reproductive Technology and Twin Pregnancy · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Contraception · Reproductive Health and Technologies · Social Psychology
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |