The Ripple Effects of Misattributed Parentage

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) DNA testing has led to a surge in misattributed parentage discoveries, often referred to as “not parent expected” (NPE) events. This study finds that an NPE discovery is not only an individual identity event but a family systems event, identifying four interrelated processes characterizing family responses to NPE discoveries: systemic disruption, intergenerational secrecy and betrayal, ambiguous loss and identity renegotiation, and adaptive realignment over time. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 43 members of 11 families in the United States and Canada, the study focuses on NPE discoveries in which individuals learned that the father who raised them is not their biological father. Each family included the NPE individual and two to four relatives, including siblings, spouses, adult children, social fathers, newly discovered biological fathers, and extended kin. Outcomes were shaped by pre-existing family dynamics, the response of the parent who had been keeping the secret, and the family’s capacity for open communication and meaning making. The findings point to the need for family-centered therapeutic interventions, enhanced education and training for mental health professionals, and greater public awareness of the psychosocial consequences of NPE discoveries for families. Authors: Michele Grethel, Brianne Kirkpatrick Williams, Olivia Schuman, Christi Guerrini Full article can be found on the FP Website: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...