Cancer genetic consultation and anxiety in healthy consultees

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of cancer genetic consu ltations on clients' feelings of anxiety. Among the 219 healthy women atten ding six clinics all located in different parts of France from January 1994 to January 1995, 173 (79%) answered pre- and post-consultation questionnai res and completed the anxiety inventories (Spielberger's State Trait Anxiet y inventory). On average, the subjects reported less stare anxiety after th an before the consultation (p < 0.001), whatever their risk status. In the women who were the most likely to be 'at risk' (N= 115), a multiple regress ion analysis taking the post-consultation anxiety score as me dependent var iable with the pre-consultation anxiety score as a covariate, showed that t he risk perception, the fact that the mother had been affected by cancer, a nd the level of education had independent effects on the post-consultation anxiety assessment after adjusting for the depression score. These factors accounted simultaneously for 40% of the variance of the post-consultation s tate anxiety score. These results indicate that this first and often only m eeting with a cancer geneticist decreased the consultees' anxiety on the wh ole. The factors modifying this decrease should be taken into account by th e providers during genetic consultations.