Learning about a heightened genetic risk for dementia: Expected stigma is greater than experienced stigma

What social repercussions do older adults expect to experience if they learn they are at heightened genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD)? We compared these individuals' hypothetical expectations to the actual experiences of AD stigma reported by those who knew their apolipoprotein E (APOE) ϵ4 genotype, a key genetic risk factor for AD dementia. As part of a multisession study, participants aged 60-85 completed a 23-item modified Social Impact Scale to assess AD stigma. At Time 1, participants who knew their APOE genotype were divided into two experiential groups: APOE ϵ4 carriers (n = 65) and ϵ4 noncarriers (n = 46). Experiential group participants reported their experiences of stigma. Participants unaware of their APOE genotype (n = 180) formed the hypothetical group and reported the level of stigma they expected if they were to learn they had an elevated risk for AD. Results showed that expected stigma was significantly greater than experienced stigma. At Time 1, mean agreement with modified Social Impact Scale statements was 26.1% in the hypothetical group compared with only 2.3% in the ϵ4 carrier experiential group. The largest expectation-experience gaps concerned competence and social belonging. These findings suggest that older adults overestimate the social consequences of learning they are at genetic risk for AD. Theoretically, the results add to our understanding of the disability paradox, which refers to outsiders predicting worse life outcomes for people with chronic conditions than those individuals report themselves. Our findings show similar mispredictions occur even in the absence of symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).