title: Is the psychological impact of genetic testing moderated by support and sharing of test results to family and friends?
abstract: Receiving the results of genetic tests for a breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility can be a stressful experience. Here we studied the effects of social support (SS) and the sharing of test results on the psychological impact of BRCA1/2 test result disclosure. We also compared carriers and non-carriers on sharing, SS and psychological impact. Five-hundred and twenty-two unaffected women were followed prospectively for 2 years after receiving their test results. Psychological impact was measured on the impact of event scale. Multivariate multi-level models were used, and all the analyses were stratified depending on mutation status (carriers vs non-carriers). Two weeks after receiving their BRCA1/2 results, carriers had shared their test results less frequently than non-carriers (p < 0.01). Sharing test results was not significantly associated with psychological impact. Availability of SS was significantly associated with better psychological adjustment across time among carriers (p < 0.01), but not among non-carriers. For female BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, the importance of SS should be stressed, and possible ways of enlisting people in their entourage for this purpose should be discussed in the context of clinical encounters.
authors.affiliation: Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, 1050, avenue de la Médecine, Quebec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lapointe
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dorval
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Noguès
authors.forename: Roxane
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fabre
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Julian-Reynier
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019313:BRCA1 Protein / Q000235:genetics*; D024682:BRCA2 Protein / Q000235:genetics*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D033062:Friends; D005820:Genetic Testing; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019313:BRCA1 Protein; C492913:BRCA1 protein, human; D024682:BRCA2 Protein; C551750:BRCA2 protein, human