Paternity Tests - One in Twenty-Five Dads Not the Real Father
Paternity tests could reveal that up to one in twenty-five dads could be raising another man's child without even knowing it, according to an estimate by UK health researchers.
Paternity Tests Establish True Biological Father
Increasing use of paternity tests for medical and legal purposes means more couples are revealing the true biological indentity of the man who fathered the child.
The team at Liverpool John Moores University based their estimate on research findings published between 1950 and 2004.
Paternity Tests Now More Common
According to Professor Mark Bellis and his team the implications of so-called paternal discrepancy were huge and largely ignored, despite the increase in the number of cases.
In the US the number of paternity tests performed annually increased from 142,000 to 310,490 in ten years.
The demand in the UK for paternity tests and similar testing has grown by a factor of ten in the last decade, with the current UK level at somewhere between 8,900 and 20,000 paternity tests per year.
Various Reasons For Paternity Tests
Around five thousand of these paternity tests are requested by the CSA (Child Support Agency) to resolve child maintenance disputes; other paternity tests are conducted to investigate hereditary health disorders, and others for social reasons.
The Liverpool team found that rates of paternity tests where a father was proven not to be the biological father of his child ranged from 1% to 30%, though experts have generally agreed that the rate is below 10%, with an average 4% rate meaning that about one in twenty-five could be affected.
The authors say, however, that increasing use of paternity tests and other genetic testing may boost the rates of paternal discrepancy.
Paternity Tests - Important Consequences
Professor Bellis said that for a man who discovers he is not the biological father of a child, the effects can be devastating, leading sometimes to relationship breakdown, mental health problems and even domestic violence, with the children involved sometimes experiencing low self-esteem and anxiety.
Paternity Tests and Counselling
The NSPCC says fathers who, after paternity tests, discover they have been raising another man's child should remember that their anger and frustration must not be taken out on the child in any way.
Counseling after paternity tests is available for distressed parents and children alike. There are various organisations listed on our Useful Websites & Info page.
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