As a clinical psych who teaches other practitioners how to assess attachment, this study (if you can call it that) has some massive flaws and the research they are depending on is very dated. There is also absolutely no consideration given to the child’s current stage of development and how that impacts on his perception regarding his situation. I wonder when it will dawn on Anthony that some important information has been deliberately omitted (for example: the existence of donor siblings, paternal family members, cultural and language issues which contribute to identity etc). I hope he finds his place in the donor conceived community along with a safe space to permit him to finally explore his feelings about his situation.
Thank you for adding a clinical perspective. The attachment assessment and developmental stage concerns you raise are particularly relevant and I can add them to the limitations. For a study making definitive claims about a child's wellbeing, these are problematic.
It does seem that the study presents Anthony's current understanding as relatively complete, when there's likely much he doesn't know yet about his donor siblings, genetic heritage, etc. I’m curious if it’s the authors ignorance of donor conception more than the reality. However, I do want to give his mother credit for seeking out a professional to aid her in navigating disclosure with her son. Frankly, it’s more than most parents I know do.
I actually hesitated to share this study because I disagreed with how the authors interpreted their data, but I thought it was an important example of how donor conception experiences might manifest in very different legal and cultural contexts. This was conducted in Turkey, where donor conception has been illegal since 1987, so Anthony's family is navigating not just typical DC issues, but also the reality of an "illegal" family structure in a highly stigmatized environment.
Do you think there's value in sharing these cross-cultural experiences, even when the research quality is problematic?
This made me feel lucky to live in a place with (relatively) less stigma. When he was 6, my son’s teacher told me he cheerfully announced to the class that he’d be absent the following day because he was “going to visit (name) who gave sperm to make me.”
(Some of the kids were probably thinking, wait what is sperm? Where do babies come from….?)
As a clinical psych who teaches other practitioners how to assess attachment, this study (if you can call it that) has some massive flaws and the research they are depending on is very dated. There is also absolutely no consideration given to the child’s current stage of development and how that impacts on his perception regarding his situation. I wonder when it will dawn on Anthony that some important information has been deliberately omitted (for example: the existence of donor siblings, paternal family members, cultural and language issues which contribute to identity etc). I hope he finds his place in the donor conceived community along with a safe space to permit him to finally explore his feelings about his situation.
Thank you for adding a clinical perspective. The attachment assessment and developmental stage concerns you raise are particularly relevant and I can add them to the limitations. For a study making definitive claims about a child's wellbeing, these are problematic.
It does seem that the study presents Anthony's current understanding as relatively complete, when there's likely much he doesn't know yet about his donor siblings, genetic heritage, etc. I’m curious if it’s the authors ignorance of donor conception more than the reality. However, I do want to give his mother credit for seeking out a professional to aid her in navigating disclosure with her son. Frankly, it’s more than most parents I know do.
I actually hesitated to share this study because I disagreed with how the authors interpreted their data, but I thought it was an important example of how donor conception experiences might manifest in very different legal and cultural contexts. This was conducted in Turkey, where donor conception has been illegal since 1987, so Anthony's family is navigating not just typical DC issues, but also the reality of an "illegal" family structure in a highly stigmatized environment.
Do you think there's value in sharing these cross-cultural experiences, even when the research quality is problematic?
This made me feel lucky to live in a place with (relatively) less stigma. When he was 6, my son’s teacher told me he cheerfully announced to the class that he’d be absent the following day because he was “going to visit (name) who gave sperm to make me.”
(Some of the kids were probably thinking, wait what is sperm? Where do babies come from….?)