PSYCHOSOCIAL ADJUSTMENT AMONG CHILDREN CONCEIVED VIA DONOR INSEMINATION BY LESBIAN AND HETEROSEXUAL MOTHERS

This study examined the relations among family structure (e.g., number of parents, parental sexual orientation), family process (e.g., paren ts' relationship satisfaction, interparental conflict), and the psycho logical adjustment of children who had been conceived via donor insemi nation. The 80 participating families, all of whom had conceived child ren using the resources of a single sperm bank, included 55 families h eaded by lesbian and 25 families headed by heterosexual parents. Fifty families were headed by couples and 30 by single parents. Participati ng children averaged 7 years of age. Results showed that children were developing in normal fashion, and that their adjustment was unrelated to structural variables such as parental sexual orientation or the nu mber of parents in the household. These results held true for teacher reports as well as for parent reports. Variables associated with famil y interactions and processes were, however, significantly related to i ndices of children's adjustment. Parents who were experiencing higher levels of parenting stress, higher levels of interparental conflict, a nd lower levels of love for each other had children who exhibited, mor e behavior problems.