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Psychosocial Conditions of Women Awaiting Genetic Counseling: A Population-based Study

  • Original Research
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Journal of Genetic Counseling

Abstract

The decision whether to undergo genetic counseling for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer is complex. Knowledge about the psychosocial conditions of women who are awaiting counseling is sparse. We aimed to compare the psychosocial conditions of women awaiting genetic counseling with those of women in two reference groups. We included 567 women referred to genetic counseling for hereditary risk of breast or ovarian cancer (Genetic Group), 689 women referred to mammography (Mammography Group) and a random sample of 2,000 women from the general population (Population Group). One to 4 weeks before the first counseling session or mammography, data were collected by questionnaires. Both women affected with cancer and unaffected women in the Genetic Group appeared to have a somewhat higher prevalence of cancer-specific-distress than the corresponding reference groups. Further research on the effect of pre- counseling interventions appear warranted in addition with exploring a potential association between waiting time and cancer-specific distress.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the patients for participating, the hospital staffs for coordinating patient enrollment and Henrik F. Thomsen, biostatistician at the Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, for assistance with statistical analyses of register-data.

The research was funded by the Danish Cancer Society Grant Number PP 02 010, the Center of Innovation and Development in Nursing Education in the County of Aarhus, and Aarhus University Research Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

    Ellen M. Mikkelsen & Søren P. Johnsen

  2. Centre for Innovation in Nursing Education,, Aarhus, Denmark

    Ellen M. Mikkelsen

  3. Department of Clinical Genetics, Aarhus University Hospital, Ole Worms Allé 11 508 000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Ellen M. Mikkelsen & Lone Sunde

  4. Department of Psychosocial Cancer Research, Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, The Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Christoffer Johansen

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  1. Ellen M. Mikkelsen
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  2. Lone Sunde
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  3. Christoffer Johansen
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  4. Søren P. Johnsen
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Correspondence to Ellen M. Mikkelsen.

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Mikkelsen, E.M., Sunde, L., Johansen, C. et al. Psychosocial Conditions of Women Awaiting Genetic Counseling: A Population-based Study. J Genet Counsel 17, 242–251 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-007-9139-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-007-9139-7

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