Psychosocial Consequences of Disclosing Misattributed Paternity: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Unlike adoption and donor-assisted reproduction, misattributed paternity occurring within the context of spontaneous conception and outside of formally recognised practices of having a child remains largely an understudied phenomenon. Despite being an age-old phenomenon affecting a substantial population, the psychosocial consequences of disclosing and discovering misattributed paternity continue to lack empirical understanding. The current paper delineates misattributed paternity from other paternal discrepancies and reviews the limited body of scholarly arguments regarding the potential psychosocial consequences of disclosure/non-disclosure for individuals with paternal discrepancy. Four major categories of pro- and anti-disclosure arguments have been identified and reviewed: arguments concerned with potential disclosure/non-disclosure consequences for the child; for the parents; for the child-parent relationship and for the family unit. The review highlights the dearth of empirical knowledge on the psychosocial consequences of misattributed paternity and advocates a more nuanced exploration of this phenomenon and the need for specialist support.