*8/19/10 This study is currently closed to new enrollment. I will provide a summary of results when available. Thank you to all who participated. Anne Madeo* ***************************** The National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is sponsoring a study that seeks to learn more about how parents of children with an undiagnosed medical condition think and feel about their child's condition. We hope that this knowledge will improve the health care and counseling for these parents. Men and women who are 18 years or older and have at least one child with a medical condition that has remained undiagnosed for more than 2 years are needed to take part in this study. Participation involves one survey that takes about 45 minutes to finish. The survey can be taken online or a paper copy can be mailed to you. For additional information about this study, you may review the "Notice to Participants":http://www.surveymonkey.com/StudyNoticeUncertainty)disclosure. *If you have questions, please contact:* Anne C. Madeo, MS, Principal Investigator Genetic Counselor National Human Research Institute National Institutes of Health Bldg. 31, Room B1B36 31 Center Drive, MSC 2073 Bethesda, MD 20892-2073 Phone: 301-443-2635 Email: anne.madeo@nih.gov

In 2012 I wrote an article with some of the results from this study (Madeo AC et al. Factors associated with perceived uncertainty among parents of children with undiagnosed medical conditions. Am J Med Genet Part A 158A:1877 – 1884). Analysis of parents’ responses indicated that the greater a parent’s perceived control and optimism, the less uncertainty they perceived. Parents who perceived their child’s disease as more severe were more likely to perceive greater uncertainty. Many parents very generously answered open-ended questions about the areas they perceived that they did and did not have control. The following areas were identified as those where parents most often felt they did have control: information and decision-making about health care, advocacy, child’s comfort and self-care. The following areas were identified as those where parents most often felt they did not have control: disease, future, medical care and isolation. Over 10% of respondents (22) indicated that they have no control over anything. Thank you to the parents who took the time to complete the survey.