Attachment in Donor-Conceived Adults

Lozano, Elizabeth B.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/106823 Copy

Description

Title

Attachment in Donor-Conceived Adults

Author(s)

Lozano, Elizabeth B.

Issue Date

2020

Keyword(s)

Social/Personality Psychology

Abstract

"Most of you know who your biological parents are, unlike the small part of the population (including myself) that is donor-conceived. My name is Elizabeth Lozano and my primary line of work focuses on attachment theory as it pertains to donor-conception. A donor-conceived (DC) individual is a person born through assisted reproduction – that is, sperm or egg donation. DC individuals come in many family forms. For instance, they may have one genetic parent, such as a mother whose egg was fertilized with a donor’s sperm, and one ""social"" parent who plays a role in childrearing, but is not the biological parent. Attachment theory emphasizes the emotional bonds that people form with their primary caregivers. While it is possible that some DC people may be generally secure or insecure, some individuals may be more insecure (anxious or avoidant) with their social parent and more secure with their biological parent, compared to others. My research suggests that anxious adults are more curious than others about their donor-conception. At the same time, they are NOT more likely to seek out the donor and establish contact. Given the increased rates of commercial genetic testing (e.g., 23andMe) in recent years, this work has tremendous implications."

Type of Resource

• text
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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/106823

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2020 Elizabeth B. Lozano

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