ADOLESCENTS ATTITUDE TOWARDS CARRIER TESTING FOR CYSTIC-FIBROSIS AND ITS RELATIVE STABILITY OVER TIME

Attitudes towards cystic fibrosis (CF) carrier testing, benefits of an d barriers to having such a test were assessed within a randomly selec ted group of high school students in Flanders, after they had received sufficient basic information about the nature and the mode of inherit ance of CF. Attitudes towards carrier testing for CF were not negative , but the majority preferred to wait to have a test. This result chang ed little after 6 months. A hypothetical testing offer from the Medica l School Health Service elicited positive answers from nearly two thir ds, suggesting that such an offer may function as a cue to action. Nev ertheless, the appropriateness of such an offer may be questioned, con sidering the disadvantages of testing adolescents. Concern about a neg ative impact of the carrier status on self-image was reported by 10% o f the students. These findings suggest that education about genetics i s not only a prerequisite for allowing more informed decisions about C F carrier testing, but also for avoiding negative psychosocial effects of such a test.