Researchers Study Decision-Making Process For Using Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Tests

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From the 20 April 2011 Medical News Today article

Consumers decide whether to use mail-in genetic tests based on both rational and emotional reasons, a finding that adds to a growing body of health-care behavior research on information seeking and avoidance, according to researchers at the University of California, Riverside.

In a study of what motivates or discourages consumers from participating in direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing, UC Riverside psychologists found that potential users of the tests were influenced by perceived benefits and barriers to testing, and anticipated regret over testing versus not testing. …

…”We were interested in examining how people perceive DTC genetic testing and how information about the procedure might influence their interest in testing, not about the advantages or disadvantages of the testing procedure itself,” said Kate Sweeny, assistant professor of psychology and lead author of “Predictors of interest in direct-to-consumer genetic testing.” The paper appears in the online edition of the peer-reviewed journal Psychology & Health.

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