Historically, medical photographs are used to demonstrate dysmorphic features and characteristic presentations of genetic conditions. Traditional, pictorial depictions of genetic conditions typically involve nude subjects against walls to emphasize their features. These stark, black and white photographs may negatively influence students’ perceptions of the depicted individual. Natural photographs which include individuals in non-clinical environments may impact perceptions. To assess the influence of photographs on a viewer’s perception, 649 students from medical, nursing, genetic counseling and dental programs were surveyed in a cross-over study. Students were randomized to view a traditional or a natural photograph of three distinct genetic conditions followed by a natural or a traditional photograph, respectively, of the same conditions. Perceptions of the individual and their quality of life were assessed using Likert scale and yes/no adjective-association questions. Affected individuals were more often associated with positive characteristics (e.g. beautiful, respectful, intelligence, higher quality of life, etc.) when presented in natural settings and negative characteristics (e.g. degrading, institutionalized, humiliating, neglected, etc.) when depicted in traditional photographs (p
","abstract_html":"<p>Historically, medical photographs are used to demonstrate dysmorphic features and characteristic presentations of genetic conditions. Traditional, pictorial depictions of genetic conditions typically involve nude subjects against walls to emphasize their features. These stark, black and white photographs may negatively influence students’ perceptions of the depicted individual. Natural photographs which include individuals in non-clinical environments may impact perceptions. To assess the influence of photographs on a viewer’s perception, 649 students from medical, nursing, genetic counseling and dental programs were surveyed in a cross-over study. Students were randomized to view a traditional or a natural photograph of three distinct genetic conditions followed by a natural or a traditional photograph, respectively, of the same conditions. Perceptions of the individual and their quality of life were assessed using Likert scale and yes/no adjective-association questions. Affected individuals were more often associated with positive characteristics (e.g. beautiful, respectful, intelligence, higher quality of life, etc.) when presented in natural settings and negative characteristics (e.g. degrading, institutionalized, humiliating, neglected, etc.) when depicted in traditional photographs (p</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Falugi, Christina"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Masters of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Thesis (MS)","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["S. Shahrukh Hashmi, MD, MPH, PhD","Sarah H. Elsea, PhD","Claire N. Singletary, MS, CGC"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:50:09Z","subjects":["medical photographs","textbook photographs","perceptions","quality of life","healthcare education","medical education","Medicine and Health Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/utgsbs_dissertations/673","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["S. Shahrukh Hashmi, MD, MPH, PhD","Sarah H. Elsea, PhD","Claire N. Singletary, MS, CGC"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Falugi, Christina"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-05-02T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis (MS)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Masters of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["medical photographs","textbook photographs","perceptions","quality of life","healthcare education","medical education","Medicine and Health Sciences"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/utgsbs_dissertations/673"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Historically, medical photographs are used to demonstrate dysmorphic features and characteristic presentations of genetic conditions. Traditional, pictorial depictions of genetic conditions typically involve nude subjects against walls to emphasize their features. These stark, black and white photographs may negatively influence students’ perceptions of the depicted individual. Natural photographs which include individuals in non-clinical environments may impact perceptions. To assess the influence of photographs on a viewer’s perception, 649 students from medical, nursing, genetic counseling and dental programs were surveyed in a cross-over study. Students were randomized to view a traditional or a natural photograph of three distinct genetic conditions followed by a natural or a traditional photograph, respectively, of the same conditions. Perceptions of the individual and their quality of life were assessed using Likert scale and yes/no adjective-association questions. Affected individuals were more often associated with positive characteristics (e.g. beautiful, respectful, intelligence, higher quality of life, etc.) when presented in natural settings and negative characteristics (e.g. degrading, institutionalized, humiliating, neglected, etc.) when depicted in traditional photographs (p
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Effect of Photographs of Visible Genetic Conditions On Quality of Life Perceptions"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["S. Shahrukh Hashmi, MD, MPH, PhD","Sarah H. Elsea, PhD","Claire N. Singletary, MS, CGC"],"dc:creator":["Falugi, Christina"],"dc:date.available":["2017-05-02T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Historically, medical photographs are used to demonstrate dysmorphic features and characteristic presentations of genetic conditions. Traditional, pictorial depictions of genetic conditions typically involve nude subjects against walls to emphasize their features. These stark, black and white photographs may negatively influence students’ perceptions of the depicted individual. Natural photographs which include individuals in non-clinical environments may impact perceptions. To assess the influence of photographs on a viewer’s perception, 649 students from medical, nursing, genetic counseling and dental programs were surveyed in a cross-over study. Students were randomized to view a traditional or a natural photograph of three distinct genetic conditions followed by a natural or a traditional photograph, respectively, of the same conditions. Perceptions of the individual and their quality of life were assessed using Likert scale and yes/no adjective-association questions. Affected individuals were more often associated with positive characteristics (e.g. beautiful, respectful, intelligence, higher quality of life, etc.) when presented in natural settings and negative characteristics (e.g. degrading, institutionalized, humiliating, neglected, etc.) when depicted in traditional photographs (p
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/utgsbs_dissertations/673"],"dc:subject":["medical photographs","textbook photographs","perceptions","quality of life","healthcare education","medical education","Medicine and Health Sciences"],"dc:title":["Effect of Photographs of Visible Genetic Conditions On Quality of Life Perceptions"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (MS)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Masters of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:50:09Z"}