Jane P. Sheldon

Exploring the Public Understanding of Basic Genetic Concepts

It is predicted that the rapid acquisition of new genetic knowledge and related applications during the next decade will have significant implications for virtually all members of society. Currently, most people get exposed to information about genes and genetics only through stories publicized in the media. We sought to understand how individuals in the general population used and understood the concepts of “genetics” and “genes.” During in-depth one-on-one telephone interviews with adults in the United States, we asked questions exploring their basic understanding of these terms, as well as their belief as to the location of genes in the human body. A wide range of responses was received. Despite conversational familiarity with genetic terminology, many noted frustration or were hesitant when trying to answer these questions. In addition, some responses reflected a lack of understanding about basic genetic science that may have significant implications for broader public education measures in genetic literacy, genetic counseling, public health practices, and even routine health care.

The relationship between stress, dietary restraint, and food preferences in women

The relationship between stress, restraint, and eating has been studied using various methods, including retrospective self-reports of stress and eating that are open to inaccuracies. Additionally, laboratory research has not systematically varied the fat content and sweetness of food items to assess how stress relates to specific food preferences. In this study of 40 women we examined the role of restraint and experimentally induced stress on the amount of sweet, salty, high-fat, and low-fat food consumed. High-restraint women ate more high-fat food than did low-restraint women, regardless of stress level. High-stressed women preferred sweet, high-fat food more than did low-stressed women, whereas low-stressed women ate more low-fat than high-fat food. There was no interaction between restraint and stress level. Social influence effects of small-group testing may have increased the ego-threat of the stressor or disinhibited high-restraint women in both stress groups. Future laboratory research is needed to assess the role of the presence of others in both stress induction and eating behaviors.

Clergy's Attitudes and Attributions of Blame Toward Female Rape Victims

Th authors investigated clergys attitudes toward rape victims by using the Attitudes toward Rape Victims Scale and three rape scenarios (marital, date, and acquaintance). Clergys sexism and religious fundamentalism were also measured. Results indicated that the more fundamentalist and sexist the clergy were, the more negative their attitudes toward rape victims. Qualitative analyses demonstrated that clergy take into account the womans resistance, provocative behavior, decision making, marital role, and unusual behaviorwhen assigning responsibility for rape. The results indicated that most clergy blame the victimand adhere to rape myths; therefore, they need to be more educated about sexual assault.

The Perennial Debate: Nature, Nurture, or Choice? Black and White Americans' Explanations for Individual Differences.

The authors examine 3 common explanations for human characteristics: genes, the environment, and choice. A representative sample of White and Black Americans indicated how much they believed each factor influenced individual differences in athleticism, nurturance, drive to succeed, math ability, tendency toward violence, intelligence, and sexual orientation. Results show that across traits (a) Black respondents generally favored choice and rejected genetic explanations, whereas White respondents indicated less causal consistency; (b) although a sizable subset of respondents endorsed just 1 factor, most reported multiple factors as at least partly influential; and (c) among White respondents, greater endorsement of genetic explanations was associated with less acceptance of choice and the environment, although among Black respondents a negative relationship held only between genes and choice. The social relevance of these findings is discussed within the context of the attribution, essentialism, and lay theory literature. The results underscore the need to consider more complex and nuanced issues than are implied by the simplistic, unidimensional character of the nature–nurture and determinism–free will debates—perennial controversies that have significance in the current genomic era.

The Role Aggression Plays in Successful and Unsuccessful Ice Hockey Behaviors

Aggressive behavior in professional ice hockey has seen a dramatic increase since 1975, and many players and coaches consider such behavior an important strategy for winning (Englehardt, 1995; Smith, 1979; Widmeyer & Birch, 1979). A belief that aggression is necessary for successful performance can be found outside the ranks of professional hockey, as well. For example, Weinstein, Smith, and Wiesenthal (1995) pointed out that young Canadian ice hockey players are taught that engaging in illegal aggressive behavior is often vital for team success.

Quality of Life and Autonomy in Emerging Adults with Early-Onset Neuromuscular Disorders

Emerging adulthood is an important period in the development of one’s identity and autonomy. The ways in which identity and autonomy are viewed by emerging adults and how they impact quality of life (QoL) in individuals with early-onset neuromuscular conditions is not yet known. This study focused on understanding and exploring relationships between self-perceptions of emerging adulthood, autonomy, and QoL. Five previously validated measures were incorporated into an online survey and distributed to young adults with early-onset neuromuscular conditions and unaffected controls. Topics explored included individuals’ views regarding their overall QoL, disease-specific QoL, components of emerging adulthood, and autonomy. We found that a sense of higher disease impact was associated with a lower Overall General QoL. Additionally, perceptions of key autonomy factors “negativity” and “instability” were uniquely associated with Overall General QoL in the case group as compared to controls, whereas “attitudinal autonomy” (attaining the ability to plan and follow through with goals) was important to this age group regardless of health status. The specific factors of emerging adulthood and autonomy that were significantly correlated with Overall General QoL can be used for developing targeted counseling and interventions to improve QoL for individuals and their families.

Arab American Emerging Adults’ Bicultural Identity, Acculturation Stress, and Perceptions of Parenting

For bicultural individuals in the United States, developing a sense of cultural identity is an important component of self-concept. Such identity exploration is particularly salient for 18to 30-year-old individuals in the stage of life termed “emerging adulthood” (Arnett, 2000). Most research concerning bicultural identity has been conducted on individuals of Asian, African, or Latino descent (e.g., Benet-Martinez & Haritatos, 2005; de Domanico et al., 1994; Farver, Narang, & Bhadha, 2002; Phinney & Devich-Navarro, 1997; Tsai, Ying, & Lee, 2000; Umaña-Taylor, Bhanot, & Shin, 2006; Ying, 1995; Weaver & Kim, 2008). Very few studies, however, have investigated bicultural identity in Arab Americans (e.g., Awad, 2010; Britto & Amer, 2007). For individuals of Arab descent living in the United States post-September 11th, developing a sense of cultural identity may be particularly complex and stressful. Therefore, in response to Britto’s (2008) call for more research on Arab American youth, the current study is an attempt to expand our knowledge of this ethnic minority group by exploring bicultural identity in Arab American emerging adults. Several researchers (Berry, Phinney, Sam, & Vedder, 2006; Chen, BenetMartinez, & Bond, 2008; de Domanico, Crawford, & De Wolfe, 1994) have found that individuals who develop a bicultural, integrated sense of identity have higher psychosocial well-being than those who feel marginalized or separated in their ethnic/cultural identity. Importantly, however, difficulties can occur in families when parents and children differ in their degree of acculturation (Weaver & Kim, 2008; Ying, Lee, Tsai, Lee, & Tsang, 2001). For example, a study of Chinese immigrant mothers (Buki, Ma, Strom, & Strom, 2003) showed that the larger the perceived acculturation gap between mothers and their adolescents, the lower the mothers’ level of parenting

Family Communication in a Population at Risk for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Encouraging family communication is an integral component of genetic counseling; therefore, we sought to identify factors impacting communication to family members at risk for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). Participants (N = 383) completed an online survey assessing: 1) demographics (gender, genetic test results, HCM family history, and disease severity); 2) illness representations; 3) family functioning and cohesiveness; 4) coping styles; 5) comprehension of HCM autosomal dominant inheritance; and 6) communication of HCM risk information to at-risk relatives. Participants were a national sample of individuals with HCM, recruited through the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association. Data from 183 participants were analyzed using a logistic regression analysis, with family communication as a dichotomous dependent variable. We found that female gender and higher comprehension of autosomal dominant inheritance were significant predictors of participants’ communication of HCM risk information to all their siblings and children. Our results suggest that utilizing interventions that promote patient comprehension (e.g., a teaching-focused model of genetic counseling) are important and may positively impact family communication within families with HCM.

Applications and Implications of Advances in Human Genetics: Perspectives from a Group of Black Americans

Objectives: We explored the opinions of 40 Black Americans regarding: (1) what they thought most Blacks and Whites believe about genetic causes for perceived race differences in human traits, and (2) the impact of genetic science on them, their families, and Black people. Methods: We conducted in-depth telephone interviews with 40 self-identified Black men and women. Transcripts of the interviews were recorded and examined for common themes. Results: The majority of our respondents felt that most Whites, unlike most Blacks, attribute differences between these groups to genetic factors. Many in our sample felt that genetic advances may provide benefits in the area of health care, but many also recognized potential harm. Conclusions: Our results provide a glimpse as to what some Blacks believe about genetic science in the context of racial issues.

Non‐invasive prenatal screening for trisomy 21: Consumers' perspectives

Non‐invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) has the potential to dramatically increase the prenatal detection rate of Down syndrome because of improvements in safety and accuracy over existing tests. There is concern that NIPS could lead to more negative attitudes towards Down syndrome and less support for individuals with Down syndrome. To assess the impact of NIPS on support for prenatal testing, decision‐making about testing, and beliefs or attitudes about Down syndrome, we performed an Internet‐based experiment using adults (N = 1,789) recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants were randomly assigned to read a mock news article about NIPS, a mock news article about amniocentesis, or no article. The content in the two articles varied only in their descriptions of the test characteristics. Participants then answered questions about their support for testing, hypothetical testing decision, and beliefs and attitudes about Down syndrome. Reading the mock NIPS news article predicted increased hypothetical test uptake. In addition, the NIPS article group also agreed more strongly that pregnant women, in general, should utilize prenatal testing. We also found that the more strongly participants supported prenatal testing for pregnant women, the less favorable their attitudes towards individuals with Down syndrome; providing some evidence that NIPS may indirectly result in more negative perceptions of individuals with this diagnosis.