| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 分子醫學研究所 === 94 === With the advent of new technologies, various screening tests have been developed to help detect congenital malformations and hereditary diseases at the earliest time possible. Nevertheless, the impact of false positive screening results imposed on the patients, is another concern. Newborn hearing screening is a newly developed test that is known to produce a significant number of false positive cases. Moreover, in spite that early intervention can secure the future development of speech, the truth of hearing impairment cannot be altered. Therefore counseling for hearing screening test will be very important.
The aim of this study is to find out the effect of counseling on maternal anxiety upon positive screening result. A total of 81 genetic counseling sessions were performed on 479 mothers who participated automatically. Among them, 12 babies had a positive screening result. At the same period, 20 babies whose mothers didn’t attend the counseling courses had positive screening result (the control group). Structured questionnaires were done for these mothers both before the counseling courses (or before their babies left the nursery for the control group), and after the doctors informed the screening result at the follow up clinic one month later.
The results shown that before counseling both groups showed no difference in either anxiety or knowledge. At the second tests, knowledge increased in both groups, but more in these who received counseling. Upon positive screening results, although both groups had increased anxiety levels, the increment was large and reached statistical significance in the control group. During the interview for several mothers afterwards, the most prominent anxiety-causing factors were fear of permanent hearing loss of the baby, injury caused by the hearing test, reprimand from other family members, and other associated health problems with the baby. The mothers have tried to repeat the test in other places, or searched related information to reduce their stress. All mothers wished to know how to evaluate their babies’ hearing at home, how the hearing test was carried out, and the therapy once the diagnosis being confirmed.
In conclusion, positive newborn hearing test results causes significantly anxiety to the mothers. Carefully planned comprehensive pretest counseling effectively brings down the anxiety effect once a positive result was revealed. This study also offers precious materials for future design of counseling for newborn hearing screening test.
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