Browsing by Author "Harsin, Amanda"

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    The Effect of Physician Endorsement on Patients’ Perceived Importance and Necessity in Disclosing Genetic Disease to Family
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Harsin, Amanda; Head, Katy
    When a physician diagnoses a patient with a genetic disease, disclosure to family is an important communication action for both the patient and family. Timely disclosure by the patient to family may help to “activate” [1] family into providing needed support to the patient [2,3], as well as activate individuals in that family to be tested for the disease [4,5,6]. This study examines whether physician endorsement of disclosing a genetic disease diagnosis to family influences patients’ perceptions of importance and necessity to disclose to family their diagnosis. We conducted online surveys with patients (N = 237, Mean age: 54 years; 85.0% Caucasian) diagnosed with a genetic disease called polycystic kidney disease (PKD). The patients in this study are the first person in their family diagnosed with PKD, called the proband. Four variables were examined in this study. IVs included participant recall of physician explaining family members’ risk for the disease and recall of whether the physician suggested sharing the diagnosis with family. DVs were participant’s perceived importance and perceived necessity to disclose diagnosis to family, with each measured on a three-point scale. Analyses revealed that participants were significantly more likely to think it was important to disclose when the physician explained that family members were at risk and to think it was important to disclose when the physician recommended disclosing the diagnosis to family. Based on these results, physicians should be made aware their endorsement of disclosing to family can significantly increase probands’ perceived importance and necessity of talking to their family and that emphasizing the genetic risk for family can increase a patient’s perception that it is important and necessary to tell their family.
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    A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Marriage from Midlife to Later Life
    (American Psychological Association, 2018-03) Bell, Linda G.; Harsin, Amanda; Sociology, School of Liberal Arts
    This prospective longitudinal study explores the relationship between marital functioning at midlife and in later life as measured by global coding of marital interaction process. Couples participated in home interviews at midlife, then again 25 years later. During home interviews at both waves couples completed a questionnaire describing their family, then discussed differences of opinion about the family. Marital system variables were coded by trained coders from taped discussions. Coded measures of the marital interaction supported a relationship between midlife and later life marriage. Connection at midlife was positively related to warmth/support and clear interpersonal boundaries in later life; more connection at midlife was also related to less depression in later life. More individuation at midlife was associated with less conflict in later life. Evidence was also found for enhanced marital functioning in later life: more warmth/support, clearer interpersonal boundaries, more comfort with differences, and less covert conflict.