title: Information Avoidance Tendencies, Threat Management Resources, and Interest in Genetic Sequencing Feedback.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Information avoidance is a defensive strategy that undermines receipt of potentially beneficial but threatening health information and may especially occur when threat management resources are unavailable.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We examined whether individual differences in information avoidance predicted intentions to receive genetic sequencing results for preventable and unpreventable (i.e., more threatening) disease and, secondarily, whether threat management resources of self-affirmation or optimism mitigated any effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (N = 493) in an NIH study (ClinSeq®) piloting the use of genome sequencing reported intentions to receive (optional) sequencing results and completed individual difference measures of information avoidance, self-affirmation, and optimism.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Information avoidance tendencies corresponded with lower intentions to learn results, particularly for unpreventable diseases. The association was weaker among individuals higher in self-affirmation or optimism, but only for results regarding preventable diseases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Information avoidance tendencies may influence decisions to receive threatening health information; threat management resources hold promise for mitigating this association.
authors.affiliation: National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 3E642, Bethesda, MD, 20892-9761, USA, jennifer.taber@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Taber
authors.forename: William M P
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Rebecca A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.forename: Katie L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Shepperd
authors.forename: Leslie G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Biesecker
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D005820:Genetic Testing; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000067656:Optimism; D012649:Self Concept