An unprecedented Fitzwilliam Museum exhibition explores the family, informed by psychological research from the University's Centre for Family Research. Its curator hopes to open minds to newer family forms including those with LGBTQ+ parents and families created by assisted reproduction.
Landmark study finds no difference in psychological wellbeing or quality of family relationships between children born by assisted reproduction (egg or sperm donation or surrogacy) and those born naturally at age 20. However, findings suggest that telling children about their biological origins early – before they start school – can be advantageous for family relationships and healthy adjustment.
Families come in many guises. Some parents are same-sex; others are single by choice. Growing numbers of children are conceived through assistive reproductive technology. What do these developments mean for the parents and children involved? Professor Susan Golombok’s book, Modern Families, examines ‘new family forms’ within a context of four decades of empirical research.
Alice Winstanley and Kate Ellis-Davies, are researchers in the Applied Developmental Psychology Research Group working on The New Parents Study, a ground-breaking international project lead by Professor Michael Lamb and Professor Susan Golombok into the experiences of parents who have used assisted reproduction technologies, and the development of their children.
Research into adoptive families headed by same-sex couples paints a positive picture of relationships and wellbeing in these new families. The study, which was carried out by Cambridge University, suggests that adoptive families with gay fathers might be faring particularly well.
Cambridge is fielding a series of talks and debates by leading academics on a range of global challenges at this year's Hay literary Festival.
The first comprehensive study of egg-sharing between women undergoing fertility treatment reveals striking empathy on the part of donors and recipients – and may dispel concerns about programmes that offer ‘benefits-in-kind’ in return for donated eggs.
A longitudinal study is accessing the psychological well-being of children created by assisted reproductive technologies.
A team studying the psychological well-being of children created by assisted reproduction has been awarded a prize for their work.
Parents with children conceived through assisted reproduction are likely to have good family relationships, but if they are going to tell their child about their donor conception, they should do so at an early age, Cambridge researchers have revealed.
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