INFLUENCE OF MEDICAL AND PERCEIVED PARENTAL SEVERITY OF ILLNESS ON BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES IN CHILDREN WITH CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE. 70

PurposeThis study aimed to determine mothers' knowledge of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and to examine the relationship between types of CHD, the duration of treatments, the perception of the severity of illness and the mothers' knowledge.Design/methodology/approachA correlation study was conducted among 84 mothers of children (from infancy to six years old) with CHD who had attended pediatric cardiology clinics and pediatric units in three tertiary hospitals in Bangkok, Thailand. The two questionnaires aimed to evaluate the mothers' knowledge and perceptions of the severity of illness. Descriptive statistics, Spearman's rank-order correlation and Fisher's exact test were used to analyze the data.FindingsKnowledge levels of mothers of children with CHD were at a high level with a mean score of 34.79 (SD = 8.23), but the knowledge domain of preventing complications was at a low level with a mean score of 14.95 (SD = 5.28). The types of CHD and the perceptions of illness were not correlated with the mothers' knowledge, but the duration of treatments was significantly correlated (r = 0.271, p < 0.05).Originality/valueHealthcare professionals, especially nurses, should emphasize proper health education on complication prevention and the duration of treatments for children. Moreover, mothers should be supported to nurture children with CHD to reduce possible complications and prepare for cardiac surgery where needed.

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Social and Behavioral Difficulties in 10-Year-Old Children With Congenital Heart Disease: Prevalence and Risk Factors

Frontiers in Pediatrics ◽

10.3389/fped.2020.604918 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Isabelle Werninger ◽

Melanie Ehrler ◽

Flavia M. Wehrle ◽

Markus A. Landolt ◽

Susanne Polentarutti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Congenital Heart Disease ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Congenital Heart ◽

Maternal Mental Health ◽

Behavioral Outcomes ◽

Behavioral Difficulties ◽

Increased Risk

Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) may be at increased risk for neurodevelopmental impairments. Long-term behavioral profiles and respective risk factors are less frequently described. The aim of this study was to evaluate multidimensional behavioral outcomes and associated medical, psychological, and social risk factors in children with complex CHD. At 10-years of age, 125 children with CHD were assessed for general behavioral difficulties, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related behavior, and social interaction problems and were compared to normative data. Medical and cardiac factors, IQ, maternal mental health at 4 years of age and parental socioeconomic status were tested as predictors for all behavioral outcomes. Children with CHD showed no significant differences in general behavioral difficulties. However, increased ADHD-related symptoms (p < 0.05) and difficulties in social interaction (p < 0.05) were observed. In 23% of the children, a combination of ADHD-related symptoms and social interaction problems was reported by parents. In multivariate analyses, IQ (p < 0.01) and maternal mental health (p < 0.03) at 4 years of age were found to be predictive for all behavioral outcomes at 10 years while medical and cardiac risk factors were not. Our findings reveal significant difficulties in ADHD-related symptoms and social interaction problems with a significant comorbidity. Behavioral difficulties were not detected with a screening tool but with disorder-specific questionnaires. Furthermore, we demonstrate the importance of maternal mental health during early childhood on later behavioral outcomes of children with CHD. This underlines the importance of identifying and supporting parents with mental health issues at an early stage in order to support the family and improve the child's neurodevelopment.

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