General characteristics of paternity test applicants

Authors: AYŞİM TUĞ, GÜLÜMSER GÜLTEKİN AKDUMAN

Abstract: Aim: This research was done to fill the gap in research on the social dimensions of paternity testing by determining the reasons for the suspicion and some characteristics of families who applied for a paternity test. Materials and methods: This research was performed with 50 men that applied for paternity testing. The bi-sectional questionnaire was conducted by means of the interview method. The questionnaire comprised questions on age, education, the reason for and duration of paternity suspicion, domestic violence linked to the paternity suspicion, and plans for the future following the test. The data were assessed with SPSS 10.0 and chi-square test for one sample. Results: The age of the participating mothers and men was mainly between 31 and 45 years. All mothers and fathers were literate. The duration of suspicion was between 1 month and 30 years. The frequency of domestic violence related to the uncertainty of paternity was 50%. While 34% of men stated they would take responsibility for the child if the result was negative, and 28% said they would discontinue any communication. Conclusion: The assessment of the results shows that, except for future plans, significant differences exist in all data.

Keywords: Forensic sciences, psychology, paternity testing, DNA analysis, biological paternity, paternity suspicion

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