Parental perceptions of the burden of genetic disease

Parents who are carriers of genes that code for genetic disease face a complex decision regarding procreation. To investigate how parents perceive the potential effects of having a child with congenital defects and how such perceptions influence their reproductive decisions, 202 women accepting and 50 women rejecting amniocentesis after genetic counseling were followed in a 3-year longitudinal study. Using multiple correspondence analysis, we found that perceived burdens associated with hypothetical congenital abnormalities leading to prolonged illness or early death were considered the most serious, those related to physical handicap or facial abnormalities were perceived as least serious, while genetic defects causing mental retardation fell between. The parents were increasingly likely to accept amniocentesis the more they felt they would be unable to cope with the consequences of a genetic disease leading to prolonged illness or mental retardation (R = .23). Overall, the women who accepted amniocentesis were those who perceived the consequences of congenital malformation as most burdensome. The findings suggest that genetic counselors should not only explore parents' attitudes about specific congenital abnormalities, but also their perceptions of how they would cope with the medical and social consequences of the various genetic defects.