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- Title
Deaf Genetic Testing and Psychological Well-Being in Deaf Adults.
- Authors
Palmer, Christina; Boudreault, Patrick; Baldwin, Erin; Fox, Michelle; Deignan, Joshua; Kobayashi, Yoko; Sininger, Yvonne; Grody, Wayne; Sinsheimer, Janet
- Abstract
Limited data suggest that enhanced self-knowledge from genetic information related to non-medical traits can have a positive impact on psychological well-being. Deaf individuals undertake genetic testing for deaf genes to increase self-knowledge. Because deafness is considered a non-medical trait by many individuals, we hypothesized that deaf individuals receiving a genetic explanation for why they are deaf will experience increased psychological well-being. We report results from a prospective, longitudinal study to determine the impact of genetic testing ( GJB2, Cx26; GJB6, Cx30) on perceived personal control (PPC), anxiety, and depression in deaf adults ( N = 209) assessed following pre-test genetic counseling as well as 1-month and 6-months following test result disclosure. Participants were classified as Cx positive ( n = 82) or Cx negative/inconclusive ( n = 127). There was significant evidence for Cx group differences in PPC and anxiety over time (PPC: Cx group*time interaction p = 0.0007; anxiety: Cx group*time interaction p = 0.002), where PPC scores were significantly higher, and anxiety scores were significantly lower for the Cx positive group relative to the negative/inconclusive group following test result disclosure. Compared to pre-test, PPC scores increased at 1-month ( p = 0.07) and anxiety scores decreased at 6-months ( p = 0.03) for the Cx positive group. In contrast, PPC scores decreased ( p = 0.009, p < 0.0001) and anxiety scores increased ( p = 0.09, p = 0.02) for the Cx negative/inconclusive group at 1- and 6-months post test result disclosure. Genetic testing for deaf genes affects the psychological well-being of deaf individuals. Increasing deaf adults' access to genetic testing may potentially enhance self-knowledge and increase psychological well-being for those who receive a genetic explanation, which could offer downstream health benefits.
- Subjects
DEAFNESS &; psychology; CHI-squared test; STATISTICAL correlation; DEAFNESS; FISHER exact test; GENETIC counseling; LONGITUDINAL method; PSYCHOLOGICAL tests; QUESTIONNAIRES; REGRESSION analysis; RESEARCH funding; STATISTICS; T-test (Statistics); GENETIC testing; DATA analysis; WELL-being; PRE-tests &; post-tests; REPEATED measures design; DATA analysis software; STATE-Trait Anxiety Inventory; DESCRIPTIVE statistics
- Publication
Journal of Genetic Counseling, 2013, Vol 22, Issue 4, p492
- ISSN
1059-7700
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10897-013-9573-7