title: Children born through reproductive donation: a longitudinal study of psychological adjustment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Parenting and children's adjustment were examined in 30 surrogacy families, 31 egg donation families, 35 donor insemination families, and 53 natural conception families.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parenting was assessed at age 3 by a standardized interview designed to assess quality of parenting and by questionnaire measures of anxiety, depression, and marital quality. Children's adjustment was assessed at ages 3, 7, and 10 using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although children born through reproductive donation obtained SDQ scores within the normal range, surrogacy children showed higher levels of adjustment difficulties at age 7 than children conceived by gamete donation. Mothers who had kept their child's origins secret showed elevated levels of distress. However, maternal distress had a more negative impact on children who were aware of their origins.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The absence of a gestational connection to the mother may be more problematic for children than the absence of a genetic link.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. seg42@cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Golombok
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Blake
authors.forename: Polly
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roman
authors.forename: Vasanti
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jadva
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D001364:Awareness; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003219:Confidentiality; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D030881:Disclosure; D054541:Family Conflict / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007316:Insemination, Artificial, Heterologous / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D018587:Oocyte Donation / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D013533:Gestational Carriers / Q000523:psychology*; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000523:psychology*; D006113:United Kingdom