Paternity Test – Dealing with Grown-up Offspring

Psychologists believe that there will be a significant rise in the number of men later in life discovering they have grown-up offspring they never previously knew about. The paternity test is becoming increasingly common, and with it, the identification of thousands of fathers who could have remained undiscovered and anonymous without the DNA tests.

A Paternity Test Offers Concrete Answers

The major biological difference between the genders means that men can never really be sure of their paternity in the same way women can be sure of their maternity. But the DNA test has changed all that. Now a degree of certainty can be introduced. But this biological difference means that men will always be susceptible to finding out they are fathers without necessarily knowing or having suspicions. Society has changed – with the increased curiosity in our roots, origins and family history more people believe they have a right to know where they came from. The DNA test means they can find out.

Searching Out Biological Dad With A DNA Test

Many adults are eager to search out their biological fathers, if they were adopted for instance. But studies show that a test for paternity may be needed for more people than previously thought – figures suggest that maybe as many as one in six of us have a different biological father to the father we thought we had. It’s a shocking figure, and the psychological impact can be huge. For men, the idea that they have a child who has grown up without their knowledge can be devastating. Which is why a test should never be taken carelessly – a paternity test should be thought through with all results, even the unwanted ones, taken into consideration. And testing has today gone even further – the alleged father does not even need to be tested. DNA testing to confirm paternity can be carried out between the alleged father’s blood relatives and then compared to the DNA of the child in what are known as relationship DNA tests. Relationship tests can be carried out with paternal relatives including the alleged father’s parents or his siblings but not his cousins.

Grown-up Offspring – How Do You Cope?

So how do men react when a paternity DNA test reveals they have grown-up offspring? Everyone reacts differently. Anger, resentment, denial, happiness… A happily married man may want to ignore the paternity test to protect his existing family. Single or divorced men may grab hold of their offspring whole-heartedly. There is no blueprint for coping with a test result. But it’s important to seek help, advice and even counselling to cope with such a life-changing event.