Psychological Problems and Coping Patterns among Parents of Children with Congenital Heart Disease after Open Heart Surgery

Abstract

- Aim: this study aimed to assess psychological problems and coping patterns among parents of children with congenital heart disease after open heart surgery. A descriptive study was used. Sample: A convenient sample of 80 parents. Setting: this study was conducted on parents at Cairo-university hospitals-Ministry of Higher Education at “Abou El-Resch Hospital for Paediatrics”. Tools of data collection: 1) An interview questionnaire sheet containing the following parts: A) Socio-demographic data, B) Health history; 2) Depression Anxiety Stress Scales; and 3) Parent Self-Report Responses to Stress questionnaire-Hospitalization. Results of the study: revealed that, more than half of the studied parents had severe depression symptoms, the majority of them had very severe anxiety symptoms, and more than two third of them had moderate stress symptoms. Conclusion: parents of children with congenital heart disease after open heart surgery experienced different levels of depression, anxiety and stress, and they experienced a negative coping. Recommendation: Applying educational interventional program for enhancement of psychological problems of parents of children with CHD.