Topic avoidance and family functioning in families with young adult children conceived with donor assistance

Despite worldwide growth in donor insemination, there have been few empirical studies concerning the impact of levels of disclosure on the resulting families. While theoretical literature supports disclosure based on the negative impact of secrecy on family relationships, the history of non-disclosure has made it difficult to study empirically. By conceptualizing disclosure as a process over time that can be measured by level of perceived topic avoidance, the hypothesis that an inverse relationship exists between topic avoidance in general and topic avoidance relative to donor insemination in particular, and family functioning was investigated.; A sample of 69 donor conceived individuals, ages 21 through 34 completed a topic avoidance scale relative to their rearing parents, the Beavers SFI, and a demographic survey. Pearson correlations revealed a significant moderate inverse relationship between each measure of topic avoidance and family functioning, and even when controlling for demographic variables, multiple regression analyses indicated an increase in each category of topic avoidance predicted a decrease in family functioning. While parents disclosing together and parents not divorced were significantly predictive of family functioning, no direct relationship was found between age at disclosure and family functioning. Although topic avoidance was rated higher for fathers than for mothers in general and donor-related, correlations with family functioning were similar for mothers and fathers in general. Mothers' donor related topic avoidance had the weakest correlation with family functioning, and mothers' general topic avoidance was the strongest predictor of family functioning. Additional results suggest growing trends in alternative families and family communication, and disclosure earlier in life.; Findings suggest there are conditions about disclosure that determine its impact on family functioning. While parents disclosing together is one of these conditions, another is that disclosure appears anchored in family communication in general, and families function better when parents communicate more openly with their children. It further appears that mothers' general communication with their children is the driving force of family functioning, and that disclosure ought to be considered a process over time, rather than a discreet event. In sum, disclosure of donor assistance from parents to children reflects patterns of family communication that are associated with family functioning.