One in 25 fathers ‘not baby’s dad’

Around one in 25 fathers could unknowingly be raising another man’s child, UK researchers have claimed.

Researchers from Liverpool John Moores University based their findings on international scientific research, published between 1950 and 2004.

The results, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, suggest that rates of ‘parental discrepancy’ – where a rather is not the biological father of his child – range from less than 1% to as much as 30%.

It is generally believed that the rates are below 10%. However, a rate of 4% means that around one in 25 families could be affected.

The authors of the report warn that the implications of the findings are “huge”, due to the increasing reliance of judicial and health systems on DNA profiling and genetic testing, such as organ donation and criminal identification.

The authors warn that the increasing use of genetic testing for diagnosis, treatment and identification is likely to increase the rates of parental discrepancy.

The report highlights other evidence in support of the findings, including increasing rates of paternity testing in North America and Europe. In the US, rates more than doubled to 310,490 between 1991 and 2001.

The report authors said that it is thought that around a third of all pregnancies in the UK are unplanned and also said that it is estimated that around one in five women in long-term relationships has had an affair. Similar figures are also reported in other developed countries.

The authors of the report warn that there are few support services available to help those affected and little guidance on the disclosure of parental discrepancy for those working in healthcare or the criminal justice systems.

The report concluded: “In a society where services and life decisions are increasingly influenced by genetics, our approach to (parental discrepancy) cannot be simply to ignore this difficult issue.”

(KMcA/SP)