Maternal understanding of infant diabetes risk: differential effects of maternal anxiety and depression

This study describes maternal understanding of infant risk associated with newborn genetic screening for type 1 diabetes.

Mothers of at-risk infants (n = 195), identified through the Prospective Assessment of Newborns for Diabetes Autoimmunity study, were notified of risk status by standardized script. Mothers participated in structured telephone interviews 1 and 3.5 months after notification that assessed understanding of infant risk and psychologic response to the news.

Most mothers (78.5%) were accurate in their understanding of infant risk at the initial interview, with a slight decline at the follow-up interview (73%). There was a significant increase in underestimation of risk from the initial (12%) to the follow-up interview (19%) (chi2 (1) = 6.0, P = .01). Mothers with less education, those from ethnic minority backgrounds, and those who were not married tended to be less accurate. Further, mothers who experienced more anxiety and fewer depressive symptoms in response to the news were more likely to be accurate. Likewise, underestimation of risk was associated with fewer anxiety and more depressive symptoms.

This study highlights the complex picture of factors promoting maternal understanding of infant diabetes risk in a sample of mothers whose newborns had been identified as at increased risk for type 1 diabetes.