Parent Response to False-Positive Newborn Test for Cystic Fibrosis

Psychosocial stress was not significant in most mothers.

Since the introduction of the first newborn screening test for phenylketonuria, concerns have been raised about emotional distress in parents who receive false positive (FP) results for other disorders in the newborn screen, including cystic fibrosis (CF). An FP newborn screen for CF is the result of a positive test for immunoreactive trypsinogen, or a positive test of the transmembrane regulator gene for 39 mutations, followed by a negative confirmatory sweat chloride test.

To compare the psychosocial response of 134 mothers whose infants had FP CF screens versus a control group of 411 mothers whose infants had negative CF screens, investigators had both groups complete a standardized questionnaire that measured maternal anxiety, distress a…

Reviewing Author

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics