The birth of a child with a congenital anomaly. Part III. Response of parents to the diagnosis.
The parents of 90 babies diagnosed as suffering from cystic fibrosis (17 cases), Hirschsprung's disease (30), oesophageal atresia (23) and anorectal malformations (20) were interviewed to investigate their reactions at the time of learning the diagnosis. The majority of parents were satisfied with the manner in which the diagnosis had been conveyed to them: the most pervasive factor in this respect was the attitude of the teller. Where this was sympathetic, parents responded positively even when too little information had been given or one parent had been told alone. The largest proportion of dissatisfied parents were from the cystic fibrosis group, in which, in contrast to the surgically correctable anomalies, the element of hope was not present.
D001003:Anal Canal / Q000002:abnormalities; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004933:Esophageal Atresia / Q000175:diagnosis; D006627:Hirschsprung Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations