GENETIC EDUCATION AND COUNSELING

This special issue of Patient Education and Counseling on genetic educ ation and counseling provides an overview of studies and findings in t his field. It features a mixture of papers dealing with five different topics related to several psychosocial aspects of genetic education a nd counseling. Attention is paid to new issues in counseling for hered itary cancer and Huntington Disease. Articles are presented on informa tion recall of counseled individuals, the use and impact of genetic se rvices on counselees (acceptance of testing; knowledge of inherited ca ncer susceptibility; risks of genetically testing children). Also topi cs are addressed with respect to the counselor (neutral attitude; unde rstandable language; information recall; satisfaction with the service s provided by the genetic counselor). Furthermore, recommendations are discussed for screening practices for women with a family history of breast cancer, and in addition, the effectiveness of genetic counselin g is addressed. In conclusion several suggestions for future research are given. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.