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Information avoidance tendencies, threat management resources, and interest in genetic sequencing feedback.

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 21:55 authored by Jennifer M Taber, William M P Klein, Rebecca A Ferrer, Katie L Lewis, Pete HarrisPete Harris, James A Shepperd, Leslie G Biesecker
BACKGROUND Information avoidance is a defensive strategy that undermines receipt of potentially beneficial but threatening health information and may especially occur when threat management resources are unavailable. PURPOSE We examined whether individual differences in information avoidance predicted intentions to receive genetic sequencing results for preventable and unpreventable (i.e., more threatening) disease and, secondarily, whether threat management resources of self-affirmation or optimism mitigated any effects. METHODS Participants (N?=?493) in an NIH study (ClinSeq®) piloting the use of genome sequencing reported intentions to receive (optional) sequencing results and completed individual difference measures of information avoidance, self-affirmation, and optimism. RESULTS Information avoidance tendencies corresponded with lower intentions to learn results, particularly for unpreventable diseases. The association was weaker among individuals higher in self-affirmation or optimism, but only for results regarding preventable diseases. CONCLUSIONS Information avoidance tendencies may influence decisions to receive threatening health information; threat management resources hold promise for mitigating this association.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Annals of Behavioral Medicine

ISSN

1532-4796

Publisher

Springer Verlag

Issue

4

Volume

49

Page range

616-21

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2015-07-29

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2015-07-29

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