Parent responses to participation in genetic screening for diabetes risk

Screening for type 1 diabetes (T1DM) risk in newborns has little negative emotional impact on mothers. In this study, the impact on the mother and the father was evaluated both in the general population and in families with diabetes. All parents with a newborn in Skane, Sweden, were invited to a screening for T1DM risk in their children (the Diabetes Prediction in Skane (DiPiS)). Blood was obtained at delivery from the mother and the child. When the child was 2 months old, parents gave written consent and filled out questionnaires, but were not informed about the genetic risk. Of the 10 538 invited families, 6831 (64.8%) consented and 806 (7.7%) declined participation. Five questions addressing both parents were filled out by 6676 (63.4%) mothers and 6099 (57.8%) fathers. In 146/6676 (2.2%) families, one family member had diabetes (D-families). Participation in DiPiS did not affect most parents and the majority was satisfied with the information. The majority of parents (28.9%) were reassured and only 1.1% (140/12,670) reported increased worries because of participation, compared to 2.8% of the mothers in D-families. Parents in D-families more often ascribed diabetes risk to their child as well as the risk being higher. Mothers and fathers differed in their answers on four of the five study questions, with mothers being more satisfied with the information, reporting more knowledge of diabetes, estimating lower risk of their child to get diabetes, but reporting more worries of possible future chronic disease in the child. Parents with lower education, being born abroad, or being younger who reported worries of chronic disease in the child were also reassured by participation in the study. These results confirm that screening for T1DM risk in newborns does not create worries in most parents, but stress that fathers differ from mothers in opinions and reactions, that parents' reactions are affected by diabetes in the family, and that demographic factors might be important for the parents' reports.