Home > Arhiva > 2011 > Numar: 1 > Genetics, Family Dynamics and Well-Being Genetics, Family Dynamics and Well-Being
by:
- Stephen J. Cutler (Professor of Sociology, Emeritus and Emeritus Bishop Robert F. Joyce Distinguished University Professor of Gerontology, University of Vermont, 31 South Prospect Street, Burlington, VT 05405 USA, 18027582025, scutler@uvm.edu)
- Lynne G. Hodgson (Department of Sociology, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT 06518, E-mail: Lynne.Hodgson@quinnipiac.edu)
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As our understanding of human genetics increases, social workers and family gerontologists would do well to take into account the role of genetic legacies in family dynamics and well-being. To illustrate the importance of genetic factors in the context of mid- and late-life families, we draw on findings from a 5-year, 2-wave study of “anticipatory dementia,” the personal concerns that individuals have about developing Alzheimer’s disease. Epidemiological research finds that having a parent with Alzheimer’s heightens the probability of dementia occurring in succeeding generations. Data from our study show that being an adult child of a parent with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s translates into significantly higher levels of personal concerns about developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to a matched group with no parental history of the disease. In turn, these personal concerns are associated with lower levels of well-being. Other findings are used to further illuminate the implications of “genetic status” for family dynamics and well-being.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, genetics, families, well-being
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