Parents' attitudes toward genetic testing of children for health conditions: A systematic review.
This review assessed parents' attitudes toward childhood genetic testing for health conditions, with a focus on perceived advantages and disadvantages. We also evaluated the factors that influence parents' attitudes toward childhood genetic testing. We searched Medline, Medline In-Process, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstracts and CINAHL. We screened 945 abstracts and identified 21 studies representing the views of 3934 parents. Parents reported largely positive attitudes toward childhood genetic testing across different genetic tests with varying medical utility. Parents perceived a range of advantages and disadvantages of childhood genetic testing. Childhood genetic testing was viewed by most as beneficial. Parents' education level, genetic status, sex and sociodemographic status were associated with reported attitudes. This yielded some conflicting findings, indicating the need for further research. Genetic counseling remains essential to support this population in making well-informed decisions. Targeted interventions tailored to specific families with different sociodemographic characteristics may be useful. Further research on the long-term impact of childhood genetic testing on families is warranted.
School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
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http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2134-5505
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Lim
School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.|Behavioral Sciences Unit, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, Australia.
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McGill
School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.|Behavioral Sciences Unit, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, Australia.
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Quinn
Hereditary Cancer Clinic, Department of Medical Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia.|Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
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Tucker
Behavioral Sciences Unit, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, Australia.
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Mizrahi
Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.|Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
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Patenaude
Hereditary Cancer Clinic, Department of Medical Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia.|Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
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Warby
School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.|Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, Australia.
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Cohn
School of Women's and Children's Health, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.|Behavioral Sciences Unit, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, Australia.
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Wakefield
D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making; D005260:Female; D005817:Genetic Counseling / Q000523:psychology*; D030342:Genetic Diseases, Inborn / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005820:Genetic Testing; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
attitude; genetic testing; parents; pediatrics