Mental Health Problems in Parents of Children with Congenital Heart Disease

Abstract

This review will provide a concise description of mental health problems in parents of children with a (non-syndromic) congenital heart disease (CHD) during different stressful periods. Predictors of these problems and also implications for clinical practice will be mentioned. Having a child with CHD can be very stressful for parents, who have to face overwhelming emotions and also extra physical, financial, and other practical challenges. Parental distress has been reported in 30–80% of parents and appears not to be related to severity of CHD. Parental mental health, parenting, the parent–child relationship, and parental quality of life can all be affected. Parents, and especially mothers, are at risk of psychological distress, anxiety, depression, somatization, hopelessness, and posttraumatic stress symptoms, which in turn may influence mother’s responsiveness. In the long term, the majority of parents adapt successfully to living with a child with CHD, but approximately 40% report a need for psychosocial care. These families may be helped by early psychosocial interventions to alleviate stress and reduce children’s emotional and behavioral problems. A holistic approach to early psychosocial interventions should aim at improving coping and enhance parenting. During routine medical checkups, medical professionals should ask about parental stress, family functioning, and psychosocial functioning of the child and, when needed, adequate psychosocial care should be provided.

Bad news: Families’ experiences and feelings surrounding the diagnosis of Zika‐related microcephaly

“…Learning of the condition prenatally however may mean the pregnancy becomes more difficult because families anticipate that they may face suffering and difficulty after the child's birth (Janvier, Farlow, & Wilfond, 2012). Although knowledge of a severe defect prior to a child's birth is typically considered beneficial to parents, some researchers have questioned this assumption because studies have shown that prenatal diagnosis is associated with increased parental distress (Kolaitis, Meentken, & Utens, 2017;Lawoko & Soares, 2006;Öst, Nisell, Frenckner, Mesas Burgos, & Öjmyr-Joelsson, 2017). In a study comparing reactions of family members who received a diagnosis of congenital heart disease in their child, investigators found that both fathers and mothers who received the diagnosis prenatally were more depressed, while those who received the diagnosis postnatally were more stressed (Bevilacqua et al, 2013).…”

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“…The initial diagnosis is a stressful time for parents of children with CHD and diagnosis is increasingly more common in the prenatal period [38, 39]. During prenatal counseling, parents of children with CHD place a greater importance on QOL of their future child, including the number of lifetime interventions and physical limitations than their fetal cardiologist [40].…”

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“…For children with severe and chronic illnesses is confirmed that the parents are mentally stressed (7).…”

“…For example parental distress has been reported in 30-80% of parents with congenital heart disease and 40% report a need for psychosocial care (7).…”