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To test or not to test: Interest in genetic testing for Alzheimer's disease among middle-aged adults

Department of Sociology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont

Lynne G. Hodgson, PhD

Department of Sociology, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Connecticut

Based on a hypothetical scenario positing 100 percent accuracy in test results, we examined interest in genetic testing for Alzheimer's disease (AD) among adult children, 40-60 years of age, who have a living parent with a diagnosis of probable AD (N = 108), and a matched comparison group of persons with no parental history of AD (N = 150). For both groups, planning for the future was the most important reason cited for being tested; lack of good treatment options and concerns about losing health insurance were the most important reasons for not being tested. Hierarchical regression was used to examine the effects of sociodemographic characteristics, subjective perceptions of memory functioning, concerns about having and developing AD, and mastery on interest in being tested. Personal concerns about developing AD and mastery emerged as significant predictors and subsample membership approached significance, although the full model explained just 18 percent of the variance. Because persons in the comparison group were more likely to report an interest in being tested, educational efforts about genetic testing should not be restricted only to family members of persons with a diagnosis of AD.

Key Words: Genetic testing • first-degree relatives • comparison group • motivations • predictors • mastery

American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias®, Vol. 18, No. 1, 9-20 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/153331750301800106


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