Psychosocial Effects of Screening for Disease Prevention and Detection

by Robert T. Croyle

Overview

As screening programs for HIV, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, genetic abnormalities and other risk factors continue to proliferate, difficult questions are continually raised concerning the psychological and behavioral effects on the participants. Although members of the public health community have debated the costs and benefits of screening programs for over three decades, these questions have become especially pertinent with the current emphasis on early disease detection and prevention. While advocates argue that risk notification provides the impetus for individuals to improve their health habits and seek early treatment, skeptics contend that risk screening can have an adverse labeling effect, leading to increased anxiety, work absenteeism, and fatalism.
Now, for the first time, the widely scattered body of research on the effects of risk factor screening is comprehensively reviewed and evaluated in this volume. Here, an internationally recognized group of expert contributors summarizes and discusses current knowledge about the psychosocial consequences of risk factor testing, taking into account individual differences, gender differences, risk status, and intervention strategies. Both the public health and behavioral science viewpoints are explored through up-to-date reviews and stimulating commentary. Bridging the gap between data, theory and public health policy, this volume is essential reading for researchers, professionals and policymakers concerned with the prevention of acute and chronic disease.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195075564
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/27/1995
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	9.42(w) x 6.34(h) x 0.77(d)

About the Author

Croyle, Robert T., PhD (Univ of Utah)

The contributors are from universities throughout the U.S., with several from Europe. Institutions prominently represented include Univ of Utah, Temple, Princeton, and Univ of North Carolina.

Table of Contents

IntroductionPART I: Reviews of the Literature1. Psychological Impact of Genetic Testing2. Psychosocial Impact of Cholesterol Screening3. Psychosocial Impact of Cancer Screening4. Changes in Psychological Distress and HIV Risk-Associated Behavior: Consequences of HIV Antibody Testing5. The Psychosocial and Behavior Impact of Health Risk Appraisals6. Understanding the Impact of Risk Factor Test Results: Insights from a Basic Research ProgramPART II: Commentaries

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Bernard J. Turnock, MD, MPH (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Description: This book examines how the results of screening programs for various diseases and conditions affect the risk reduction behaviors of those screened.
Purpose: This is an important area for health promotion and disease prevention programs in view of the proliferation of screening tests and the widespread acceptance among professionals that individuals will respond positively to information as to their risk or disease status.
Audience: In bringing together research performed on several different screening programs and critically reviewing these findings, this book is of much interest to researchers, policy makers, and professionals active in the field of health promotion and disease prevention. Despite the use of multiple contributors, the book holds together nicely and is surprisingly easy to read and follow for what is basically an academic presentation of research findings and implications.
Features: There are few notable features of the book. The illustrations and tables are sparse, but nonetheless useful. Index, table of contents, and appearance are all rather plain. The references are timely, appropriate, and well-cited.
Assessment: This book is a quite informative and enlightening review of what we know about the effects of notifying people of their test results for a variety of diseases and conditions. The book brings together scattered research efforts to examine these issues for separate health conditions and identifies common threads and themes in light of current health behavior prediction models. Although the book certainly emphasizes more of the psycho than the social effects, it is nonetheless an important contribution to the field.

Doody's Review Service

"The first part of this excellent compendium edited by Croyle details the experience of multiple investigators with the effect of presenting information about health risks in a variety of disorders, such as Huntington's disease, breast cancer, AIDS and heart disease. ... Altogether this is a very timely collection." — The New England Journal of Medicine

"Two primary themes are the psychological adjustment of those notified and subsequent behavioral and emotional effects, principally the reduction of risky behavior. The thirteen contributing authors were chosen for their experience in the effects of risk notification with both theoretical as well as practical experience in large scale screening and prevention programs for a number of diseases." — Psychological Reports

From the Publisher

3 Stars from Doody

This book examines how the results of screening programs for various diseases and conditions affect the risk reduction behaviors of those screened. "This is an important area for health promotion and disease prevention programs in view of the proliferation of screening tests and the widespread acceptance among professionals that individuals will respond positively to information as to their risk or disease status. "In bringing together research performed on several different screening programs and critically reviewing these findings, this book is of much interest to researchers, policy makers, and professionals active in the field of health promotion and disease prevention. Despite the use of multiple contributors, the book holds together nicely and is surprisingly easy to read and follow for what is basically an academic presentation of research findings and implications. "There are few notable features of the book. The illustrations and tables are sparse, but nonetheless useful. Index, table of contents, and appearance are all rather plain. The references are timely, appropriate, and well-cited. "This book is a quite informative and enlightening review of what we know about the effects of notifying people of their test results for a variety of diseases and conditions. The book brings together scattered research efforts to examine these issues for separate health conditions and identifies common threads and themes in light of current health behavior prediction models. Although the book certainly emphasizes more of the psycho than the social effects, it is nonetheless an important contribution to the field.

Bernard J. Turnock