The Influence of Religious Affiliation and Attitudes of Clinical Genetic Testing Among Medical Students in the West Texas Region

BACKGROUND: Genetic counseling is an essential and pertinent field in any society to lower the prevalence of hereditary disorders. However, the desire to undergo counseling and genetic testing varies widely depending on the cultural background and level of scientific literacy of the individual. In this survey, we examine the perspectives of medical students on clinical genetic testing based upon their religious tradition. METHODS: The total number of participants in the study was 257 (122 male and 135 female) second year medical students at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC). The distribution of religious identification (Atheist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Spiritual/not Affiliated, and Other) among the second-year medical students. The survey was available to students through TTUHSC’s Omnibus survey program for a period of two weeks. RESULTS: Most of the second-year medical students interviewed identified as being Christian (67%) with the next highest religious identification being Spiritual/not Affiliated (9%), Atheist (8%), and Muslim (6%). With regards to genetic tests, most of the students (95%), regardless of religious identification, have not used any commercial genetic testing services. Most second year medical students regardless of religious affiliation had similar agreement with questions regarding clinical genetic testing. However, there was a similar drop in agreement when it came on where students would want genetic screening to be performed regularly in clinics/hospitals. CONCLUSION: Given the numerous factors that must be considered, such as the patient’s attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs towards the counseling process and genetic testing, genetic counseling is a challenging problem. Each target population’s history, relevant exposure to, and domain expertise must be considered while promoting decision-making in genetic testing.