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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 BieseckerBACKGROUND 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.
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Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Annals of Behavioral MedicineISSN
1532-4796Publisher
Springer VerlagExternal DOI
Issue
4Volume
49Page range
616-21Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2015-07-29First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2015-07-29Usage metrics
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