The prospect of predictive testing for personal risk: attitudes and decision making.
Behav Res Ther
; 36(6): 599-619, 1998 Jun.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-9648334
ABSTRACT
As predictive tests for medical problems such as genetic disorders become more widely available, it becomes increasingly important to understand the processes involved in the decision whether or not to seek testing. This study investigates the decision to pursue the possibility of testing. Individuals (one group who had already contemplated the possibility of predictive testing and one group who had not) were asked to consider predictive testing for several diseases. They rated the likelihood of opting for testing and specified the reasons which they believed had affected their decision. The ratio of the numbers of reasons stated for testing and the numbers of reasons stated against testing was a good predictor of the stated likelihood of testing, particularly when the reasons were weighted by utility (importance). Those who had previously contemplated testing specified more emotional reasons. It is proposed that the decision process is internally logical although it may seem illogical to others due to there being idiosyncratic premises (or reasons) upon which the decision is based. It is concluded that the Utility Theory is a useful basis for describing how people make decisions related to predictive testing; modifications of the theory are proposed.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Atitude Frente a Saúde
/
Testes Genéticos
/
Tomada de Decisões
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Etiology_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Behav Res Ther
Ano de publicação:
1998
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Reino Unido