Use of Amniocentesis by Mexicans and Mexican-Americans

This project will examine decisions about the use of prenatal diagnostic testing made by Mexican immigrant and Mexican-American families found to be at risk for having a child with a disability. The specific aims are: to identify the considerations Mexican immigrant families take into account when deciding whether to undergo amniocentesis after having been told they are at increased risk of having a child with a disability based on maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) prenatal screening; to understand the role genetic counseling plays in shaping Mexican immigrant and Mexican-American families' understandings about prenatal diagnostic testing, their decisions about its use, and their experiences with the tests; to assess the influence of genetic counseling and the decision to accept or decline amniocentesis on Mexican immigrant and Mexican-American families' subsequent experiences of that pregnancy and any succeeding pregnancies during the following four years; and to investigate how Mexican immigrant and Mexican-American families reach consensus about whether the woman should undergo amniocentesis and how differences are resolved when they occur.