The relationship between hopelessness and perceived social support levels of parents with children with congenital heart disease

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between hopelessness and perceived social support levels of parents with children with congenital heart disease (CHD).
 Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with parents of children who underwent surgery for CHD, and data were collected from 100 parents who agreed to participate in the study. A descriptive information form for the sociodemographic characteristics of the parents, “Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS)” and “Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS)” were used to collect the data. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation tests.
 Results: The mean score of the hopelessness level of the parents participating in the study was 6.15±4.23, and the mean perceived general social support score was 69.55±15.47. There was a significant negative correlation between the hopelessness levels of mothers and social support (SS) received from the family, from significant others, and general SS scores. There was a significant positive correlation between the hopelessness levels of the mothers and the SS level received from the family (p<0.05).
 Conclusion: In this study, the parents of children with CHD have low levels of hopelessness and perceived SS levels are high. Moreover, the relationship between hopelessness and perceived SS levels varies according to the sex of the parents. In our study, the SS level of mothers had a higher effect on the hopelessness level. It is recommended that the SS levels of the parents of children with CHD should be increased to help them cope with hopelessness.