Abstract
Purpose: To reveal psychological distress and feelings of guilt of probands and unaffected relatives at 1 and 12 months after the disclosure of genetic test results regarding hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC).
Methods: Participants of the research were probands who fulfilled HNPCC criteria and their unaffected relatives. The participants consisted of those who visited the outpatient clinic for cancer genetics, and those who were underwent a genetic test for HNPCC. The structured clinical interview was used in order to investigate psychological distress of probands and unaffected relatives at 1 and 12 months after the disclosure of genetic test results regarding HNPCC. The feelings of guilt were also investigated using semistructured interviews. This is a descriptive prospective cohort study.
Results: The object of analysis was 30 who completed the final interview conducted 12 months after the disclosure of genetic test results for HNPCC. The disclosure of genetic test results related to HNPCC did not have a significant psychological impact, as none of the probands or relatives met the criteria at the time of the 1-month or 12-months follow-up interview. It was revealed that predictive factor for long-term psychological distress was the participants' innate psychological weakness. Feelings of guilt were observed regardless of genetic test results.
Conclusion: This suggests that nurses who are in charge of genetic counseling should assess whether or not psychological weakness is observed within probands or their relatives as soon as possible, and set up a system to provide long-term support.
