Potentially tempering these concerns are data suggesting less-than-expected adverse impact of persons receiving results of genetic testing. Green et al. (2009), for example, reported on the generally benign psychological effects of disclosing APOE genotype. In the study, adult children of Alzheimer’s patients were invited to receive education and APOE testing (218 received education, 183 gave a blood sample), Participants were randomly assigned to receive their APOE results (n=111) or to have the results withheld (n=51). After 12-months (148 completed follow up) researchers had identified no difference in anxiety, depression, or test-related distress between the two groups, although those who tested positive for the risk factor had somewhat higher levels of distress than those with negative results. Similarly, a survey of more than 2000 participants in a study of direct-to-consumer genetic testing for non-psychiatric conditions found over 90% reported no psychological distress, and there was no significant increase in reported anxiety (Bloss et al., 2011).
