Table 5.
Attitudes towards Genetic Testing of the total sample, healthy participants, patients with hypersensitivity disorders, and patients with autoimmune diseases (frequencies and % of participants that agree).
| Favorable (% agree) | Total sample n = 1149 (%) |
Healthy n = 855 (%) |
Hypersensitivity disorders n = 150 (%) |
Autoimmune diseases n = 104 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. I think the development of DNA research is hopeful for the treatment of diseases | 1007 (87.6) | 748 (87.5) | 133 (88.7) | 91 (87.5) |
| 2. I think that the development of DNA research is a positive medical progress | 1026 (89.3) | 762 (89.1) | 139 (92.7) | 90 (86.5) |
| 3. I approve of using DNA-testing for early detection of diseases | 940 (81.8) | 694 (81.2) | 128 (85.3) | 82 (78.8) |
| 4. I would inform my siblings about the results of a DNA-test for a specific disease | 838 (72.9) | 607 (71) | 117 (78) | 81 (77.9) |
| 5. I would inform my children about the results of a DNA-test for a specific disease | 731 (63.6) | 525 (61.4) | 95 (63.3) | 79 (76) |
| 6. I want to know whether my disease is hereditary | 970 (84.4) | 718 (84) | 130 (86.7) | 90 (86.5) |
| Reserved (% agree) | ||||
| 7. The possibility of a DNA-test will change one’s future | 873 (76) | 644 (75.3) | 123 (82) | 78 (75) |
| 8. I worry about the consequences of DNA-testing for being able to take out insurance | 465 (40.5) | 328 (38.4) | 78 (52) | 48 (46.2) |
| 9. As long as a disease cannot be treated, I don’t want a DNA-test | 231 (20.1) | 160 (18.7) | 40 (26.7) | 31 (29.8) |
| 10. If I had a DNA-test done, my family need not know about the result | 254 (22.1) | 195 (22.8) | 33 (22) | 16 (15.4) |
| 11. I worry about the consequences of DNA-testing for the chances of finding a job | 298 (25.9) | 220 (25.7) | 48 (32) | 24 (23.1) |
| 12. I don’t want a DNA-test to tell me that I am at risk for a certain disease | 261 (22.7) | 199 (23.3) | 40 (26.7) | 25 (24) |
| 13. The idea of DNA-tests frightens me | 258 (22.5) | 191 (22.3) | 49 (32.7) | 20 (19.2) |