Telling kids about inherited cancer risk
When it comes to parenting mums often get lumbered with the job of ‘playing the bad guy’, and the job of telling kids about a potential inherited cancer risk is no exception, according to a study announced at the annual conference of the US National Society of Genetic Counsellors this year.
Mums having genetic tests are more likely than their partners to take on the responsibility of telling the kids, says genetic counsellor Tiffani DeMarco, who led the study. ‘The bottom line is that moms are really the gatekeepers of the information about genetic testing,’ he said.
What's more the children of mothers who also brought their partners along to genetic counselling sessions were even more likely to be in the know about what was going on, says DeMarco. ‘Women can potentially benefit from having a co-parent who attends the counselling session because they will be more likely to understand what the mom is going through and more likely to be able to communicate some of that to their children,’ he explained.
The researchers, based at Georgetown Medical Centre, interviewed 97 mothers of children 8-21 years old, who were undergoing genetic testing for hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer risk. They also interviewed their partners - a third of whom attended genetic counselling sessions.
Earlier research showed that around half of parents choose to tell their children about genetic test results within one month of receiving the result, suggesting that many are not afraid to talk to their kids about inherited cancer risk.
Source:
Genetic Counselling, Testing: Telling Kids About Inherited Cancer Risk
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071014081100.htm