"I'm trying to figure out who the hell I am": Examining the psychosocial and mental health experience of individuals learning "Not Parent Expected" news from a direct-to-consumer DNA ancestry test.

BACKGROUND: According to recent estimates, around 30 million people have taken Direct-to-Consumer DNA ancestry tests, typically marketed as a fun, harmless and exciting process of discovery. These tests estimate a user's ethnic ancestry, also matching users with biological relations on their database. This matching can produce a surprising 'not parent expected' discovery, where a user learns that an assumed parent (typically the father) is not a biological parent. Such news may negatively affect mental health, self-identity and familial relationships, while prompting the utilization of putatively helpful resources by affected individuals. However, there is a lack of research on this topic. Thus, this study aimed to document the psychosocial experience of adults who have learnt that an assumed parent is not a biological parent via a Direct-to-Consumer DNA ancestry test. Specific objectives include investigating and understanding impact on mental health, familial relationships and subsequent resources mobilized.

METHODS: To meet these objectives, we conducted an inductive qualitative study, allowing for the documentation of common experiences and perspectives. This involved 52 semi-structured interviews with affected individuals, analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS: This resulted in five overlapping themes, namely (i) participants typically described their experience as an extraordinary shock that had a negative impact on their mental health, with some exceptions; (ii) the experience typically led to a severe and troubling disruption of their self-identity, with some exceptions; (iii) the news often ruptured extant familial relationships, especially with the mother, and any experiences with the new biological family were mixed; (iv) participants sought support from a variety of resources including spouses, siblings, and online peer support groups, which were generally considered helpful, with some exceptions; and (v) many participants consulted mental health professionals, who were sometimes considered supportive, but some participants noted that they were ill-equipped to help. Common across these themes were issues of grief, loss and trauma.

CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals an expanding, vulnerable, and under-researched population facing unique stressors, that may be at high risk of developing a psychiatric disorder. There is a need for new services and supports for this population including tailored clinical interventions and specific self-care resources.