Abstract
The first of the following two studies consists of a prospective investigation of the reactions of women who participated in a screening programme for early familial ovarian cancer. The women in this study were judged to be at high risk, both in terms of their genetic susceptibility to ovarian cancer and their psychological vulnerability because all of them had a first-degree relative with ovarian cancer. None of the sample were found to have ovarian cancer. The primary aim of this study was to assess the psychological impact of both true-negative and false-positive results. A secondary aim was to evaluate the moderating effect of coping style. The second study is a qualitative evaluation of the experience of surgery in a small group of women from the main sample who were given false-positive results during the screening process. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate psychological distress in these women who had experienced major surgery as a result of taking part in ovarian screening. It was hypothesised that women may feel bitter and hostile at having been subjected to so much anxiety and physical suffering for the removal of a cyst. A secondary aim was to examine the quality and timing of information that women received.