Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3517-6244

Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Daniel W. McNeil

Committee Co-Chair

Elizabeth J. Leslie

Committee Member

Elizabeth J. Leslie

Committee Member

Mary Marazita

Committee Member

Christa Lilly

Committee Member

Amy Fiske

Abstract

Objective: As the genomic era in healthcare continues to surge, it is vital to examine genetically-related psychological concepts, such as genetic knowledge and genetic causal beliefs, in genetically relevant clinical groups. Parents /caregivers of children born with cleft lip and/or palate represent a population whose knowledge and beliefs about genetics may be influenced by their frequent utilization of genetically-related healthcare services (e.g., genetic testing and genetic counseling). To date, little is known about how such beliefs vary across disease types. Even less is known regarding how disease-specific genetic causal beliefs relate to perceived behavioral control for disease development. Method: A cross-sectional design was conducted to examine genetic knowledge, genetic causal beliefs for selected diseases, and perceived behavioral control over disease development in a clinical sample of parents/caregivers of children born with cleft lip and/or palate and a non-clinical parent/caregiver comparison group (N = 293). Study group differences in genetic knowledge and disease-specific genetic causal beliefs were assessed. Variations between genetic causal beliefs across disease types (i.e., general medical diseases, neurological diseases, oral health diseases, and psychological diseases) were explored. Ordinary least squares linear regression modeling was used to examine the association between genetic causal beliefs and perceived behavioral control over disease development. Results: Parents/caregivers of children born with cleft lip and/or palate received significantly higher genetic knowledge scores compared to non-clinical parents/caregivers [t(1, 291) = 4.45, p < .001]. Parents/caregivers of children born with cleft lip and/or palate held greater genetic causal beliefs toward oral health diseases compared to non-clinical parents/caregivers [t(1, 291) = 3.03, p = .003]. Genetic causal beliefs varied significantly between each disease type (p < .01). Greater disease-specific genetic causal beliefs were significantly associated with lower perceived behavioral control over disease development, r(291) = -.56, p < .001. Conclusion: Study findings suggest that health behavior interventions aimed at increasing perceived behavioral control over specific diseases would benefit from targeting reductions in disease-specific genetic causal beliefs, perhaps through genetic education. Moreover, concepts such as genetic knowledge and genetic causal beliefs are critical to investigate in the context of the growing use of genetics in healthcare. For parents/caregivers of children born with cleft lip and/or palate, further development of genetic education materials and interventions could improve informed medical decision-making and utilization of genetic testing.

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