title: Association of parental psychological and behavioral factors and children's syncope.
abstract: The authors examined the associations between parental variables and child syncope (fainting). Children ages 7 to 18 years undergoing tilt-table testing for neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS) at a pediatric cardiac center served as participants (N = 56). Results revealed that fathers' shortness of breath and overall psychological distress were significantly related to syncope frequency and emergency room (ER) visits for girls. Mothers' overall psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and shortness of breath were associated with boys' frequency of syncope and ER visits. Fathers' psychological factors were highly correlated with syncope for the children diagnosed negative for NCS. The frequency of children's syncope was higher in stepfamilies than in homes with both biological parents, and the correlations between children's syncope and the stepfathers' psychological symptoms were greater than for the children and their biological fathers in intact families. The role of parental psychological factors on child syncope is supported.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602-3013, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Blount
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Campbell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D013575:Syncope / Q000453:epidemiology*