Summary
As more states adopt expanded newborn screening for metabolic disorders, the overall number of false positives increases. False-positive screening results have been associated with increased anxiety and stress in parents of infants who require follow-up testing, even after the infant’s good health is confirmed. This article reviews the literature on the negative impact of false-positive newborn screening results on parents, along with a review of current communication practices for follow-up screening. The results of this review suggest that parental stress and anxiety can be reduced with improved education and communication to parents, specifically at the time of follow-up screening. Communication strategies with sample materials are proposed.
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Abbreviations
- CES-D:
-
Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scales
- MAACL:
-
Mean Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist
- MS/MS:
-
tandem mass spectrometry
- NBS:
-
newborn screening
- P-CDI:
-
Parent–Child Dysfunction Interaction
- PCP:
-
primary care provider
- PSI:
-
Parenting Stress Index
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Communicating editor: Georg Hoffmann
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Hewlett, J., Waisbren, S.E. A review of the psychosocial effects of false-positive results on parents and current communication practices in newborn screening. J Inherit Metab Dis 29, 677–682 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10545-006-0381-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10545-006-0381-1