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Patient Factors: Resistance, Coping, Affect, and Styles

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Abstract

Patient characteristics such as resistance, coping behaviors, emotional reactions, and individual and cultural stylistic differences impact genetic counseling processes and outcomes. In order to provide effective services, genetic counselors must be able to recognize and address patient factors as appropriate. This chapter describes a few of the ways in which patients differ stylistically, discusses some of the patient emotional issues genetic counselors encounter, and considers how patients may resist, defend, and cope when they feel threatened. Specifically, resistance is defined, and responses for addressing patient resistance are identified; and defense mechanisms are differentiated from other types of coping behaviors. Next the chapter describes selected types of patient emotions (e.g., grief, anger, anxiety, guilt, and shame) and patient stylistic differences (e.g., emotional and intellectual styles, religion/spirituality dimensions) and their impact on the genetic counseling relationship. Specific strategies are presented to help students increase their sensitivity to patients’ individual and cultural differences and learn to more effectively tailor their counseling approaches, accordingly. Structured activities and written exercises provide practice in recognizing and addressing patient factors in genetic counseling.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Adapted from Anandarajah and Hight (2001).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Patricia McCarthy Veach Ph.D., L.P.

  2. Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Bonnie S. LeRoy M.S., C.G.C., L.G.C.

  3. Genetic Counseling Program, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Nancy P. Callanan M.S., C.G.C.

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  1. Patricia McCarthy Veach Ph.D., L.P.
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  2. Bonnie S. LeRoy M.S., C.G.C., L.G.C.
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  3. Nancy P. Callanan M.S., C.G.C.
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McCarthy Veach, P., LeRoy, B.S., Callanan, N.P. (2018). Patient Factors: Resistance, Coping, Affect, and Styles. In: Facilitating the Genetic Counseling Process. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74799-6_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74799-6_9

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