Lay attitudes toward genetic testing for susceptibility to inherited diseases

One of the most important issues facing legal and medical policy makers in the coming years will be whether to employ population-based testing for genetic markers of inherited diseases. Two hundred and twenty-six randomly selected individuals from Easton, Pennsylvania completed a mail questionnaire that was designed to assess the general public's attitudes toward many of the personal and societal issues surrounding genetic testing for disease susceptibility. Respondents were generally optimistic about the potential benefits of genetic testing, and their attitudes about genetic testing were associated with their personal interest in getting a genetic test. Respondents were more likely to be interested in undergoing genetic testing for disease susceptibility if they might have some control over the targeted disease (i.e. there was a cure) and if the test was highly predictive of their chances of developing the disease. Respondents were wary of granting access to genetic testing results to anyone other than doctors and family members, and they did not want the government, religious leaders, or the courts involved in regulating genetic testing. These results have important implications for psychologists, genetic scientists, bioethicists, and legal scholars who are grappling with the many issues related to population-based genetic testing for inherited diseases.