Genetic testing may not pose as many psychosocial risks as previously thought

The receipt of genomic information about single genes does not have large, negative psychosocial effects on those who choose to receive that information, according to a new report published by The Hastings Center. For the last quarter century, researchers have been asking whether genetic information might have negative psychosocial effects. Anxiety, depression, disrupted relationships, and heightened stigmatisation have all been posited as possible outcomes but not consistently found.  “Just coming to better understanding why one-size-fits-all answers will not be forthcoming is itself progress,” states the introduction to the report, written by its editors, Erik Parens, a senior research scholar at The