Impact on Couple Relationships of Predictive Testing for Huntington Disease: A Longitudinal Study

Since predictive testing has been available for Huntington disease (HD) and similar adult-onset neurodegenerative disorders, research into the psychosocial impact of test results has focussed on those receiving results, and to a lesser extent, on their partners. Few studies have examined the impact of predictive testing on the couple relationship, particularly from the perspective of family systems theory. This longitudinal study compared the level of marital adjustment of 23 couples in which the at-risk partner is undergoing predictive testing for HD (the testing group) with that of 20 couples in which the at-risk partner is not undergoing testing (the non-testing group). Participating couples completed a relationship measure, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, at baseline and on two subsequent occasions. Using non-parametric tests, comparisons were made at each phase between the couple scores of the testing and non-testing groups but no significant differences were found in the levels of marital adjustment. Within the testing group the same comparisons were made for the carrier and non-carrier subgroups, and a significant difference was found at the final phase. There was an increase in the level of marital adjustment for the carrier group and a decrease for the non-carrier group. Together with trends observed in the data, this finding suggests a need for greater attention to be given to the potential impact of predictive testing on the couple relationship. Offering couples pre-result relationship assessment and referral for couple therapy, if warranted, may enhance the quality of professional support during the predictive testing process.