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Effects of Undergoing Multiplex Genetic Susceptibility Testing on Parent Attitudes towards Testing Their Children

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

Parents may pursue common disease risk information about themselves via multiplex genetic susceptibility testing (MGST) for their children.

Purpose

To prospectively assess whether parents who received MGST disclosed their test results to their child, intended to change the child's health habits, or have the child tested.

Methods

Eighty parents who opted for free MGST completed an online survey about a child in their household before undergoing MGST and a follow-up telephone survey 3 months after receiving results.

Results

Few parents (21 %) disclosed results to the child. Undergoing MGST was unrelated to intentions to change the child's health habits but did increase parental willingness to test the child. Greater willingness to test a child was associated with positive attitudes toward pediatric genetic testing and intentions to change the child's health habits.

Conclusion

The experience of receiving MGST had little impact on parents' perceptions or behaviors related to their minor child.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health. The research was also made possible by collaboration with the health management organization Cancer Research Network (CRN) funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute (U19CA079689). The overall goal of the CRN is to use a consortium of delivery systems to conduct cancer research. Additional resources were provided by the Group Health Research Institute and the Henry Ford Hospital. Genotyping services were provided by the Center for Inherited Disease Research, an entity fully funded through a federal contract from the National Institutes of Health to The Johns Hopkins University (HHSN268200782096C). Manuscript preparation was supported by grants from the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implication Research Program of the National Human Genome Research Institute (K18HG006754) and from the National Cancer Institute (R01CA137625 to Kenneth P. Tercyak) and from the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (K23HD057994 to Beth A. Tarini). Additional thanks are extended to Sharon Hensley Alford, Karen Emmons, Isaac Lipkus, and Benjamin Wilfond who were consultants on the ancillary study. Our thanks go to the study participants who all were members of the Henry Ford Health System.

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Anne C. Madeo MS & Colleen M. McBride PhD

  2. Departments of Oncology and Pediatrics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA

    Kenneth P. Tercyak PhD

  3. Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Beth A. Tarini MD

  4. Genomic Medicine Service, George E. Whalen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 500 Foothill Dr. (151Z), Salt Lake City, UT, 84148, USA

    Anne C. Madeo MS

Authors
  1. Anne C. Madeo MS
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  2. Kenneth P. Tercyak PhD
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  3. Beth A. Tarini MD
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  4. Colleen M. McBride PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anne C. Madeo MS.

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Madeo, A.C., Tercyak, K.P., Tarini, B.A. et al. Effects of Undergoing Multiplex Genetic Susceptibility Testing on Parent Attitudes towards Testing Their Children. ann. behav. med. 47, 388–394 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-013-9553-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-013-9553-z

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