As the technological spin-offs from the HGP become more prevalent, there are a variety of concerns about the way in which this technology will be incorporated into social life, particularly concerns about genetic discrimination. While the work associated with the HGP affirms that social rather than genetic explanations account for disparities in disease linked to [...]

Continue reading " Development and Validation of Tools to Assess Genetic Discrimination: DISCUSSION "

In response to the first research question, a five-factor solution for the genetic discrimination instrument (GDI) emerged as the most parsimonious structure, including 20 items that accounted for 50.11% of the variance (Table 2). The five dimensions of genetic discrimination included: 1) a seven-item individual reproductive rights factor (M=2.21, SD=1.14; S2=26.47%, a=0.91); 2) three-item social [...]

Continue reading " Development and Validation of Tools to Assess Genetic Discrimination: Results "

This research was conducted in three phases: 1) formative research, 2) pilot study and 3) instrument development. Formative Research Phase This phase of the study involved 15 focus groups conducted with 120 participants who had not previously undergone genetic testing and had little knowledge of human genetics as assessed by screening questions during recruitment. Focus [...]

Continue reading " Development and Validation of Tools to Assess Genetic Discrimination: METHOD "

A long history of noncompliance in medicine supports the vital role played by health beliefs on health behavior. Current levels of adherence to drug regimens, for example, are low. An analysis of compliance rates reported in studies of heart disease as one illustration showed that only 31-66% of patients stayed in care, between 31-58% took [...]

Continue reading " Development and Validation of Tools to Assess Genetic Discrimination: PSYCHOLOGICAL DIMENSION "

An increasing number of public messages, including direct-to-consumer advertising for genetic testing and therapies, reference race as shorthand to capture scientific associations relating disease susceptibility and drug metabolism. Media theory and research suggest a wide variety of stereotyping effects arise from the use of racial exemplars to illustrate specific issues. Thus, public messages referencing race [...]

Continue reading " Development and Validation of Tools to Assess Genetic Discrimination "