{"title":"Examining the communication work of women who have tested BRCA-positive: “I feel this responsibility to let people know”","authors":"Summer C. Martin, Allison M. Scott, Anne M. Stone","doi":"10.1002/jgc4.1898","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Inheriting a pathogenic variant in the <i>BRCA1</i> or <i>BRCA2</i> gene considerably increases a woman's risk levels for developing breast and ovarian cancer. In addition to serious physical health implications, women with a BRCA pathogenic variant may face psychosocial challenges, including those related to navigating the often demanding process of communicating about topics regarding BRCA with family and other social network members. Based on in-depth interviews with 24 women who tested BRCA-positive, we found that—consistent with the conceptualization of <i>communication work</i> articulated by Donovan-Kicken et al. (2012) as an extension of the theory of illness trajectories (Corbin & Strauss, 1988)—the labor of communicating about BRCA genetic risk entails (a) <i>duties</i>, (b) <i>challenges</i>, (c) <i>strategies</i>, and (d) <i>shared work</i>. Within each category, our results illuminate particular characteristics of communication work for women who have tested BRCA-positive, which are commonly tied to the profound health consequences that a pathogenic variant may have for them and, potentially, for their genetic relatives. Our findings offer useful theoretical implications regarding communication work in this context. Furthermore, our results yield valuable practical insight for genetic counselors and other health care professionals regarding the struggles that can accompany communication work for women who have tested BRCA-positive as well as the strategies that participants reported using to manage or avoid these challenges.","PeriodicalId":54829,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Genetic Counseling","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Genetic Counseling","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jgc4.1898","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"GENETICS & HEREDITY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Inheriting a pathogenic variant in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene considerably increases a woman's risk levels for developing breast and ovarian cancer. In addition to serious physical health implications, women with a BRCA pathogenic variant may face psychosocial challenges, including those related to navigating the often demanding process of communicating about topics regarding BRCA with family and other social network members. Based on in-depth interviews with 24 women who tested BRCA-positive, we found that—consistent with the conceptualization of communication work articulated by Donovan-Kicken et al. (2012) as an extension of the theory of illness trajectories (Corbin & Strauss, 1988)—the labor of communicating about BRCA genetic risk entails (a) duties, (b) challenges, (c) strategies, and (d) shared work. Within each category, our results illuminate particular characteristics of communication work for women who have tested BRCA-positive, which are commonly tied to the profound health consequences that a pathogenic variant may have for them and, potentially, for their genetic relatives. Our findings offer useful theoretical implications regarding communication work in this context. Furthermore, our results yield valuable practical insight for genetic counselors and other health care professionals regarding the struggles that can accompany communication work for women who have tested BRCA-positive as well as the strategies that participants reported using to manage or avoid these challenges.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Genetic Counseling (JOGC), published for the National Society of Genetic Counselors, is a timely, international forum addressing all aspects of the discipline and practice of genetic counseling. The journal focuses on the critical questions and problems that arise at the interface between rapidly advancing technological developments and the concerns of individuals and communities at genetic risk. The publication provides genetic counselors, other clinicians and health educators, laboratory geneticists, bioethicists, legal scholars, social scientists, and other researchers with a premier resource on genetic counseling topics in national, international, and cross-national contexts.