The motivations of donor-conceived adults for seeking information about, and contact with, sperm donors

Title
The motivations of donor-conceived adults for seeking information about, and contact with, sperm donors
Publication Date
2021-07
Author(s)
Macmillan, Caitlin. M
Allan, Sonia
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8770-6430
Email: sallan23@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:sallan23
Johnstone, Melissa
Stokes, Mark. A
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Elsevier Ltd
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1016/j.rbmo.2021.04.005
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/55678
Abstract

Research question: How do the demographic characteristics, mental health experiences and disclosure experiences of donor-conceived adults shape motivations for seeking information about their sperm donors, contact with them, or both?

Design: Sixty-nine Australian adults who conceived through sperm donors completed an online survey. Uniquely, information and contact seeking were investigated as two distinct concepts.

Results: Participants reported a variety of demographic, mental health, disclosure and discovery experiences. Most had been motivated to seek information about their donor (88%), contact with them (71%), or both. The most commonly reported motivations for each act were for medical information, expanding their identity and curiosity. Logistic regression findings were significant for wanting medical information as a motivation for seeking donor information (P = 0.03). Endorsement of this motivation was associated with self-reported anxiety (P = 0.02) and less likely as participant age increased (P = 0.02). Motivation to contact donors for medical information was associated with self-reported anxiety (P = 0.02) and depression (P = 0.01), and more likely when the participant was raised in a household that included the recipient co-parent (P = 0.04). As years since disclosure or discovery increased, participants were less likely to report wanting medical information as a motivation (P = 0.02).

Conclusion: Overall, participants were motivated to obtain information and seek contact with sperm donors. Motivations for each were similar despite participants varying in age and reporting a range of circumstances regarding disclosure, some of which were adverse.

Link
Citation
Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 43(1), p. 149-158
ISSN
1472-6491
1472-6483
Pubmed ID
34006483
Start page
149
End page
158

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