How do children make sense of their donor fathers

How do children make sense of their donor fathers & themselves?

I am looking for single mothers who:

* have used anonymous donor sperm

* have children aged 5 - 10

* live in the north-east USA (NY, NJ, CT, MA, DC, PA)

I am conducting a dissertation research study looking at the mental representations that children between the ages of 5 - 10 have of their anonymous donors and the relationship (if any) to the child's self-concept.

The study consists of a taped interview with the child participant which is fairly open ended (e.g. "Describe your donor" or "Tell me about your donor" "What do you imagine he might be like?" etc.) followed by an adjective checklist. As part of the interview, children are also asked questions such as, "Is there any part of you that is like the donor or not?" I then administer a self-concept scale to the child. The mothers also complete a questionnaire and a social support inventory.

The entire process takes approximately an hour and a half, and a $35 gift certificate from Barnes and Noble is provided for participating.

If you are interested, please contact me. Elizabeth Groisser

(Doctoral candidate in clinical psychology) egroisser@aol.com, 201-341-4926