Table 2. Psychosocial Impact of Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) on Parenting.
Author, year country Questions/groups analyzed Main findings
Agostini et al., 2020 Italy Compare interaction styles between parents and children post ART and those that conceived spontaneously e studies the variability between specific ART treatments The ART techniques seem to partially influence the constructions of parent-children’s interactions, with the ART beneficiaries being described as more frequently misfit and with interactive patterns of risk. In addition, specific clinical variables, such as the treatment being ICSI, or the existence of previous treatments, present themselves as additional stress factors which raise the tension already experienced by couples in the transition to parenthood.
Gibson & McMahon, 2004 Analyze parenthood after fertility treatments The fertility treatments don’t seem to have adverse effects on parenthood, as the differences found in relation to the couples that conceive spontaneously don’t indicate clinical problems or have implications on the psychosocial development of the children, having more to do with preoccupations which should be framed in the specific context of anxiety and added pressure in which this pregnancy and birth occur.
Tallandini et al., 2016 Study whether the genetic connection and/or age of the child influences the will of the parents to talk to it about the way it was conceived Few parents that engaged to ART opt to tell their children they engaged to these techniques, with the type of treatment (homologous vs heterologous) being the main variable. Those that engage to genetic material from a donor present more reluctance to reveal to their children, this difficulty being associated to the absence of biological connection.
Applegarth et al., 2016 United States of America Analyze if the parents that engage to oocyte donation have the intention of revealing this to their children and if they carry out their intention 43% of the population of the study revealed the use of oocytes from a donor to their children as they intended, 39% still wanted to reveal, 9% were still uncertain and 9% pretended to never reveal. The main reasons behind the wish to reveal were to promote an environment of truth and honesty in the family. The decision to postpone the reveal associated with higher levels of anxiety in the parents.
MacCallum et al., 2008 United Kingdom Compare the attitude of the parents relatively to the gamete donor with those that engage to adoption The individuals that engage to gametes from a donor have little information about the donors (only physical characteristics), and they think and talk less about them than those that engage to adoption talk and think about the biological families. Adoptive parents have a bigger tendency to reveal their origin to children than parents that engage to heterologous treatments.
Vitule et al., 2015 Brazil Analyze the ideas of same sex couples about the use of ART techniques in the implementation of the parenthood project The biological bonds are preponderant in the discourse of women, with a tendency to desire engage to ART, above all the ROPA method. Men, even when they show the desire to have a genetically similar child, tend to opt for adoption, rendering as the main motive the fear of the bond that might be established, through gestation, between the gestational carrier and the child.
Golombok et al., 2002 Europe Analyze the transition to adolescence in the children born out of ART Families that engaged to ART are similar to rest in most quality of the parenthood relationship parameters. The differences noted mostly reflect a better family functioning in the families post ART, with the exception of an exaggerated involvement of the parents in a small percentage.