TY - JOUR
T1 - Alpha-1 couples
T2 - Interpersonal and intrapersonal predictors of spousal communication and stress
AU - Smith, Rachel A.
AU - Wienke, Sara
AU - Coffman, Donna L.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments This project was supported by an ELSI grant with the Alpha-1 Foundation and Award Number P50-DA010075-15 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Alpha-1 Foundation, the National Institute on Drug Abuse or the National Institutes of Health. We want to thank Roxanne Parrott, Michelle Baker, and Mary Poss for their feedback on earlier drafts of the paper. Most importantly, we are grateful to the members of the Alpha-1 Research Registry and their spouses for sharing their thoughts with us.
Funding Information:
Conflict of Interest Smith received grant funding from the Alpha-1 Foundation. Sara Wienke’s position is supported by the Alpha-1 Association.
PY - 2014/4
Y1 - 2014/4
N2 - Couples often discuss genetic test results, and then manage their implications together. This interdependence can lead to common, shared experiences, similar intrapersonal processes to manage shared stressors, or interpersonal influences between spouses, leading to different outcomes. This study sought to reveal the intracouple, intrapersonal, and interpersonal influences of genetic stigma and negative feelings on spousal communication and perceived stress with 50 couples in which one spouse is a member of a genetic disease registry. The results were analyzed with dyadic analysis, including multilevel modeling. The findings showed that registered members and their spouses were not statistically different in their mean levels of perceived genetic stigma, negative feelings about alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), conversations with each other about the AATD test results, and their perceived stress. The findings also showed that their intracouple consistencies were not high, and their intrapersonal and interpersonal influences on communication and stress differed. The social implications of genetic research at the interpersonal level are discussed.
AB - Couples often discuss genetic test results, and then manage their implications together. This interdependence can lead to common, shared experiences, similar intrapersonal processes to manage shared stressors, or interpersonal influences between spouses, leading to different outcomes. This study sought to reveal the intracouple, intrapersonal, and interpersonal influences of genetic stigma and negative feelings on spousal communication and perceived stress with 50 couples in which one spouse is a member of a genetic disease registry. The results were analyzed with dyadic analysis, including multilevel modeling. The findings showed that registered members and their spouses were not statistically different in their mean levels of perceived genetic stigma, negative feelings about alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), conversations with each other about the AATD test results, and their perceived stress. The findings also showed that their intracouple consistencies were not high, and their intrapersonal and interpersonal influences on communication and stress differed. The social implications of genetic research at the interpersonal level are discussed.
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U2 - 10.1007/s10897-013-9639-6
DO - 10.1007/s10897-013-9639-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 23934327
AN - SCOPUS:84897116627
SN - 1059-7700
VL - 23
SP - 212
EP - 220
JO - Journal of Genetic Counseling
JF - Journal of Genetic Counseling
IS - 2
ER -