The Process of Family Reconstruction After DNA Testing for Huntington Disease

Overview

Journal J Genet Couns

Publisher Wiley

Specialty Genetics

Date 2015 Jul 5

PMID 26141319

Citations 4

Authors

S Sobel

D B Cowan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The needs of families to reconstruct their relationships in response to the DNA testing for Huntington disease of one or more of their asymptomatic members are presented. Data were collected from family interviews with 18 families, and from their responses on a post interview questionnaire. Findings are that families need to (a) address "unfinished business" associated with the decision for testing; (b) bring family members, peripheral in the decision for testing, into the loop; (c) reorganize patterns of communication and roles altered by the testing and heal ruptures in family membership; and (d) revise family stories about illness to provide a meaning for HD and explain the test results in a way that leaves them with a sense of mastery. Findings suggest that families should be more involved in the initial decision for testing of a member and that protocols should be established to provide help for their ongoing adjustment.

Citing Articles

Role of older generations in the family's adjustment to Huntington disease.

Oliveira C, Mendes A, Sequeiros J, Sousa L J Community Genet. 2021; 12(3):469-477.

PMID: 33768463 PMC: 8241972. DOI: 10.1007/s12687-021-00523-6.

Improving follow up after predictive testing in Huntington's disease: evaluating a genetic counselling narrative group session.

Stopford C, Ferrer-Duch M, Moldovan R, MacLeod R J Community Genet. 2019; 11(1):47-58.

PMID: 31001731 PMC: 6962407. DOI: 10.1007/s12687-019-00416-9.

Family matters: examining a multi-family group intervention for women with BRCA mutations in the scope of genetic counselling.

Mendes A, Chiquelho R, Almeida Santos T, Sousa L J Community Genet. 2012; 1(4):161-8.

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Families' experience of oncogenetic counselling: accounts from a heterogeneous hereditary cancer risk population.

Mendes A, Sousa L Fam Cancer. 2012; 11(2):291-306.

PMID: 22367452 DOI: 10.1007/s10689-012-9514-x.

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