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., parents' relationship satisfaction, interparental conflict), and the psychological adjustment of children who had been conceived via donor insemination. The 80 participating families, all of whom had conceived children using the resources of a single sperm bank, included 55 families headed by lesbian and 25 families headed by heterosexual parents. Fifty families were headed by couples and 30 by single parents. Participating 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 number of parents in the household. These results held true for teacher reports as well as for parent reports. Variables associated with family interactions and processes were, however, significantly related to indices of children's adjustment. Parents who were experiencing higher levels of parenting stress, higher levels of interparental conflict, and lower levels of love for each other had children who exhibited more behavior problems.

本文的研究问题主要探讨了家庭结构（如家长人数、家长性取向）和家庭过程（如家长关系满意度、家长间冲突）与通过捐精受孕的孩子心理调整之间的关系。研究对象为80个通过单一精子库怀孕的家庭，涵盖55个女同性恋家庭和25个异性恋家庭，其中50个为双亲家庭，30个为单亲家庭，参与调查的儿童平均年龄为7岁。

在研究方法上，采用了对家长和教师报告的问卷调查方式，评估家庭结构与互动过程对孩子心理调整的影响。具体包括家长关系满意度、家长间冲突、养育压力等因素的考量。

研究发现，孩子的心理调整程度与家长的性取向或家庭结构（如家长人数等）并没有显著关系。无论是教师报告还是家长报告，家庭结构的变量并未与孩子的心理调整产生直接联系。然而，家庭互动和过程中的变量，如较高的养育压力、较高的家长冲突、以及较低的家长关系满意度，与孩子的行为问题有显著相关性。