Development and testing of the Hereditary Diseases and Genetic Testing (HD-GT) scale

Background Despite the expanding research base on the genetic testing process, limited insight exists on how personal understandings of hereditary cancer as well as situational and contextual factors influence an individual’s decisionmaking prior to and following predictive testing for hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). The failure of existing scales to detect psychosocial and behavioral difficulties in this population has led researchers to question the adequate sensitivity of these instruments. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate measures for evaluating the preparedness for and experiences during and following predictive testing for HNPCC.