Anticipated Responses to Genetic Testing for Alzheimer’s Disease Susceptibility among Latinos in Northern Manhattan

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative illness that has become a growing concern for older adults. As such, apolipoprotein E (APOE) genetic testing has become more commonly used to identify individuals’ susceptibility to AD. An underrepresented population in AD research, Latinos will be disproportionately affected by AD in the coming decades. To better aid efforts in education and genetic risk counseling for Latino populations, we must first understand the anticipated psychological and behavioral consequences of APOE genetic risk counseling. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 216 Latinos between the ages of 40 and 64 (average age = 53 years) in northern Manhattan to ascertain their hypothetical reactions to learning that they had a higher risk of developing AD compared to other Latinos within their community. Responses were categorized as emotional, practical, and mixed responses. Among our sample, women were more likely to anticipate an emotional response to hearing that they had a higher risk of AD, and participants above the age of 60 were more likely to anticipate disclosing their risk information to immediate family members. Findings support the tailoring of genetic risk counseling sessions across different ethnic groups, genders and age groups. Future work may include the development of psychological and practical support tools for Latinos seeking APOE genetic testing and counseling.