This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Henderson, B. J. Articles by Maguire, B. T. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Henderson, B. J. Articles by Maguire, B. T. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Lay Representations of Genetic Disease, and Predictive Testing

School of Psychology, University of Wales, Bangor, UK

Bryan T. Maguire

School of Psychology, University of Wales, Bangor, UK

As research in human genetics advances, genes for familial forms of cancer and heart disease will continue to be identified. The implication of such findings is that at-risk individuals will be offered a predictive genetic test. How do individuals make such decisions and what information do they need to make informed choices? Richards (1993) has argued that the first step in understanding and helping people to make these decisions is to investigate lay beliefs of genetics. This study examined illness representations of genetic disease, and predictive testing in a sample of 20 educated lay people. Through content analysis of open-ended interviews, we discovered that individuals have limited knowledge of late-onset genetic disorders and predictive testing. Most of the sample identified genetic diseases that manifest in childhood, and were more familiar with prenatal testing. They did not mention any treatment options for genetic disorders, which may indicate that lay people are more deterministic about diseases with a genetic component. Finally, they consistently raised concerns about the ethics of genetic testing and research. The implications of our findings for the provision of information in a genetic testing situation are discussed.

Key Words: genetic disease • genetic testing, illness representations

Journal of Health Psychology, Vol. 3, No. 2, 233-241 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/135910539800300207


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. C. Sanderson, J. Wardle, and S. Michie The effects of a genetic information leaflet on public attitudes towards genetic testing Public Understanding of Science, April 1, 2005; 14(2): 213 - 224. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. S. Shaw III and K. L. Bassi Lay Attitudes toward Genetic Testing for Susceptibility to Inherited Diseases J Health Psychol, July 1, 2001; 6(4): 405 - 423. [Abstract] [PDF]