Is genetic counseling for cancer predisposition always associated with distress? A pre-post intervention study to assess probands’ pre-and post-counseling level of anxiety and satisfaction

Abstract

DOI CC By 030 Citation: Lascio SD, Scaffidi E, Bagnardi V, Taborelli M, Micheli GB, et al. (2017) Is genetic counseling for cancer predisposition always associated with distress? A pre-post intervention study to assess probands' pre-and post-counseling level of anxiety and satisfaction. Arch Depress Anxiety 3(2): 030-037. Abstract Genetic counseling for cancer predisposition is associated with a potentially underestimated emotional impact. The Genetic Counseling Service of the Institute of Oncology of Southern Switzerland evaluated the degree of anxiety before and after counseling and its correlation with the level of satisfaction of counselees. The STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) questionnaire was submitted to 80 counselees to measure trait (constitutive) and state (contingent) anxiety. It was submitted before and at the end of the fi rst interview. A specifi c questionnaire named genetic counseling satisfaction (GCS), was developed to evaluate the quality of information, submitted to counselees at the end of the fi rst meeting. The mean state and trait anxiety levels before the interview were respectively 41.4 and 40.7. The mean decrease after the interview was 4.3 for state anxiety (p<0.0001) and 1.2 (p=0.0054) for trait anxiety. The GCS showed that most counselees appreciated the clarity of information (85%) and the simple and understandable terminology used during counseling (88%). Higher levels of satisfaction were associated with higher level of state anxiety reduction (ρ=-0.23, p=0.03). Genetic counseling slightly impacts trait anxiety but results in an important reduction in state anxiety. The satisfaction from the interview infl uences the reduction of state anxiety associated with genetic counseling for cancer predisposition