‘An invisible injury’: intrapersonal experiences of adults discovering misattributed paternity

Millions of people grow up unaware of their true biogenetic origin due to misattributed paternity. Although this phenomenon is as old as humanity, no qualitative studies have been dedicated to the internal processing experiences of discovering one’s misattributed paternity. Using thematic analysis of interviews with adults who learned about their misattributed paternity (N = 13, all women, age M = 53.50), we explored how this discovery is experienced on an intrapersonal level. The analysis revealed that discovering misattributed paternity in adulthood is a pivotal, emotionally taxing life event with significant consequences for mental and physical well-being. The discovery prompted revisiting and re-evaluating one’s past and identity exploration from the perspective of the new biogenetic information. The participants emphasized the importance of learning the biogenetic father’s identity, reported several barriers to this information, and acknowledged the emotional and practical significance of the discovery timing. These findings highlight the potentially traumatic nature of misattributed paternity discoveries, demonstrate the importance of biogenetic information for one’s identity and well-being, and add new facets to understanding misattributed paternity discoveries, such as post-discovery identity fusion and growth. Recommendations include raising awareness of the psychological consequences of misattributed paternity discoveries and developing adequate support resources for those affected by them.