Parent of origin differences in psychosocial burden and approach to BRCA risk management

Sharlene Hesse-Biber; Andrew A Dwyer; Shiya Yi

doi:10.1111/tbj.13633

Parent of origin differences in psychosocial burden and approach to BRCA risk management

Breast J. 2020 Apr;26(4):734-738. doi: 10.1111/tbj.13633. Epub 2019 Oct 28.

Authors

Sharlene Hesse-Biber¹, Andrew A Dwyer², Shiya Yi³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Sociology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
² Connell School of Nursing and Munn Center for Nursing Research, Boston College, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
³ Department of Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics and Assessment, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.

PMID: 31659791
DOI: 10.1111/tbj.13633

Abstract

We conducted a mixed-method study to examine coping response in BRCA+ women based on parent of origin (maternally vs paternally inherited BRCA mutation). Quantitative findings (n = 408) revealed paternally inherited cases had genetic testing later and were more likely to have a cancer diagnosis. Having a maternally inherited mutation was the strongest predictor of proactive risk management response. Qualitative interviews (n = 56) identified proactive responses among maternally inherited cases compared to reactive responses in paternally inherited cases. Findings underscore the importance of unbiased pedigree analysis to determine cancer risk. Women with paternally inherited BRCA mutations may benefit from additional psychosocial support.

Keywords: BRCA mutation; coping cancer; genetic testing; psychosocial; theory of planned behavior.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Breast Neoplasms* / genetics
Female
Genes, BRCA2*
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Genetic Testing
Humans
Mutation
Risk Management

Grants and funding

Boston College/International