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Psychosocial risk in families of infants undergoing surgery for a serious congenital heart disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 June 2013

Simone J. Hearps ,
Maria C. McCarthy ,
Frank Muscara ,
Stephen J. C. Hearps ,
Kylie Burke ,
Bryn Jones  and
Vicki A. Anderson
Simone J. Hearps
Affiliation:
Critical Care and Neurosciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
Maria C. McCarthy
Affiliation:
Critical Care and Neurosciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Children's Cancer Centre, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Frank Muscara*
Affiliation:
Critical Care and Neurosciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia Psychology Service, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
Stephen J. C. Hearps
Affiliation:
Critical Care and Neurosciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
Kylie Burke
Affiliation:
The Parenting Research Centre, Melbourne, Australia
Bryn Jones
Affiliation:
Critical Care and Neurosciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia Department of Cardiology, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
Vicki A. Anderson
Affiliation:
Critical Care and Neurosciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia Psychology Service, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
*
Correspondence to: F. Muscara, 4 West, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Flemington Road, Parkville Victoria 3052, Australia. Tel: +61 3 9936 6653; Fax: +61 3 9345 5544; E-mail: frank.muscara@mcri.edu.au
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Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the acute psychosocial risk in families with infants undergoing surgery for a congenital heart disease and, secondarily, to explore the psychosocial impact of antenatal versus post-natal diagnoses. Method: The study sample comprised 39 caregivers (28 mothers) of 29 children diagnosed with a congenital heart disease and requiring surgery within the first 4 weeks of life. Psychosocial risk was measured using the Psychosocial Assessment Tool, which was adapted to include four novel items examining infant risk factors, namely, sleeping, feeding, crying, and bonding difficulties. Parents’ psychosocial risk was measured within 4 weeks after their child's surgery and stratified into a three-tiered framework: Universal, Targeted, and Clinical risk. Results: Of the total sample, 61.5% of parents were classified as Universal, that is, at lowest risk; 35.9% as Targeted, and 2.6% as Clinical. The within-family parent total Psychosocial Assessment Tool score correlations were non-significant, and there were no differences between families of infants who received post-natal versus antenatal diagnosis or single ventricle versus biventricular repair. Linear regression found that a higher parent education significantly predicted a lower total Psychosocial Assessment Tool score. Conclusions: Findings indicate that, although the majority of parents adapt to the acute stress of surgery for a serious cardiac illness in their infant, the remaining 38.5% report an increased psychosocial risk associated with higher rates of emotional distress, which may impact on the parental quality of life and capacity for optimal parenting. The distribution of psychosocial risk in parents of children undergoing surgery for a congenital heart disease is consistent with that described for parents of children with other serious paediatric diagnoses.

Keywords

Psychosocial riskcongenital heart diseasechildacute stress.
Type
Original Articles
Information
Cardiology in the Young , Volume 24 , Issue 4 , August 2014 , pp. 632 - 639
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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