Perceptions of Latinas on the Traditional Prenatal Genetic Counseling Model

Abstract

The traditional genetic counseling model encompasses an individualized counseling session that includes the presentation of information about genes, chromosomes, personalized risk assessment, and genetic testing and screening options. Counselors are challenged to balance the provision of enough basic genetic information to ensure clients' understanding of the genetic condition in question with a personalized discussion of what this information means to them. This study explored the perceptions Latinas have about prenatal genetic counseling sessions and aimed to determine if they had preferences about the delivery of care. Data were collected through focus groups and one-on-one, semi-structured interviews of 25 Spanish speaking Latinas who received genetic counseling during their current pregnancy. We implemented grounded theory to evaluate participant responses, and were able to identify common emergent themes. Several themes were identified including an overall satisfaction with their prenatal genetic counseling appointment, desire for a healthy baby, peace of mind following their appointment, lack of desire for invasive testing, and faith in God. Several participants stated a preference for group genetic counseling over the traditional individual genetic counseling model. Our data indicate that Latinas value the information presented at prenatal genetic counseling appointments despite disinterest in pursuing genetic testing or screening and suggest that group prenatal genetic counseling may be an effective alternative to the traditional genetic counseling model in the Latina population.

Pregnant women’s opinions toward prenatal pretest genetic counseling in Japan

“…In our study population, the proportion of pregnant women who preferred traditional in-person GC was over 80%, which was higher than that in previously published studies from Latin and Italian populations, which reported that roughly half of pregnant women indicated a preference for in-person GC [17,23]. Such differences may reflect cultural and personal preferences in the study populations.…”

“…Such differences may reflect cultural and personal preferences in the study populations. One-third of pregnant Latina women stated that advantages of group GC included the value of hearing the perspectives of other individuals in a similar situation to their own and the opportunity to learn from others [23]. In this study, 3.5% and 9.6% of women stated preferences for group GC and classroom GC, respectively.…”

Group genetic counseling: An alternate service delivery model in a high risk prenatal screening population

“…Cultural background and education level have been shown to impact a woman's experience with genetic counseling in the prenatal setting . For example, focus groups and interviews with Spanish speaking Latinas who had received genetic counseling during their pregnancy revealed a preference for group genetic counseling (if it were available) over the traditional individual model …”

Implementing Group Prenatal Counseling for Expanded Noninvasive Screening Options

“…However, another study documented advantages to this approach pertaining to a greater sense of a community as a result of the group session. The study also noted that participants learned from other session participants in a way that is not possible in an individual session and that most participants felt comfortable speaking up in front of fellow participants (Thompson et al 2015).…”