Exploring dispositional tendencies to seek online information about direct-to-consumer genetic testing

Abstract

Varying perspectives exist regarding the implications of genetic susceptibility testing for common disease, with some anticipating adverse effects and others expecting positive outcomes; however, little is known about the characteristics of people who are most likely to be interested in direct-to-consumer genetic testing. To that end, this study examines the association of individual dispositional differences with health risk perceptions and online information seeking related to a free genetic susceptibility test. Healthy adults enrolled in a large health maintenance organization were surveyed by telephone. Eligible participants (N=1,959) were given access to a secure website that provided risk and benefit information about a genetic susceptibility test and given the option to be tested. Neuroticism was associated with increased perceptions of disease risk but not with logging on. Those scoring high in conscientiousness were more likely to log on. We found no evidence that neuroticism, a dispositional characteristic commonly linked to adverse emotional response, was predictive of online genetic information seeking in this sample of healthy adults.

Internet-Based Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: A Systematic Review

“…We selected a total of 37 articles, of which four are qualitative studies, investigating the public’s knowledge of and interest in DTC-GT [ 25 - 28 ] (see Table 1 in Multimedia Appendix 2 ). Of the 37 studies, 25 (68%) were carried out in the United States [ 25 - 50 ] with 41% (15/37) registering more than 1000 subjects [ 30 - 33 , 37 , 40 , 42 , 43 , 46 , 51 - 56 ]. The response rate was more than 60% in over half of the studies (16/30, 53%) where such data were available [ 30 , 32 , 33 , 35 , 36 , 38 , 40 , 45 , 47 , 50 , 52 , 56 - 60 ].…”

“…Additionally, when people were informed about the risks of DTC testing, they became less interested in getting GT [ 36 ]. At the same time, it was found that conscientiousness about the risk of GT, and not neuroticism, led people to seek online information about DTC-GT [ 46 ]. Web-based genomic information presented using evidence-based communications made patients more favorable to this type of testing [ 38 ].…”