TY - JOUR
T1 - A national survey of genetic counselors' personal values
AU - Pirzadeh, Sara M.
AU - McCarthy Veach, Patricia
AU - Bartels, Dianne M.
AU - Kao, Juihsien
AU - LeRoy, Bonnie S.
PY - 2007/12
Y1 - 2007/12
N2 - Personal values are motivational sources for an individual's actions [Hitlin and Piliavin (Annual Review of Sociology 30:359-393, 2004)]. Genetic counselors' values may influence their behaviors in clinical practice, but a profile of their personal values has not been identified empirically. In this study, 292 genetic counselors completed the Schwartz Universal Values Questionnaire (SUVQ; Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 1-65). Boston, MA: Academic.), a widely used measure of value types, and provided information about their demographic characteristics. Results indicate that respondents highly valued benevolence, self-direction, achievement, and universalism indicating a strong pattern of concern for the welfare of others. They placed considerably less value on stimulation, tradition, and power, which reflect personal interests. Respondents who reported practicing a religion scored significantly lower on stimulation and hedonism and higher on tradition and spirituality than those not practicing; married respondents and parents scored significantly lower on stimulation and achievement; and males scored higher on power than females. The value types are described, and training and research recommendations are provided.
AB - Personal values are motivational sources for an individual's actions [Hitlin and Piliavin (Annual Review of Sociology 30:359-393, 2004)]. Genetic counselors' values may influence their behaviors in clinical practice, but a profile of their personal values has not been identified empirically. In this study, 292 genetic counselors completed the Schwartz Universal Values Questionnaire (SUVQ; Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 1-65). Boston, MA: Academic.), a widely used measure of value types, and provided information about their demographic characteristics. Results indicate that respondents highly valued benevolence, self-direction, achievement, and universalism indicating a strong pattern of concern for the welfare of others. They placed considerably less value on stimulation, tradition, and power, which reflect personal interests. Respondents who reported practicing a religion scored significantly lower on stimulation and hedonism and higher on tradition and spirituality than those not practicing; married respondents and parents scored significantly lower on stimulation and achievement; and males scored higher on power than females. The value types are described, and training and research recommendations are provided.
KW - Ethics
KW - Genetic counselor personal values
KW - Morality
KW - Nondirectiveness
KW - Value conflicts
KW - Values clarification
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U2 - 10.1007/s10897-007-9108-1
DO - 10.1007/s10897-007-9108-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 17874285
AN - SCOPUS:35948932162
SN - 1059-7700
VL - 16
SP - 763
EP - 773
JO - Journal of Genetic Counseling
JF - Journal of Genetic Counseling
IS - 6
ER -