Parental overprotection and heart-focused anxiety in adults with congenital heart disease.
BACKGROUND
The care of adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) is challenging from a mental health perspective, as these patients continue to face a variety of biopsychosocial issues that may impact emotional functioning. Despite these issues, there are limited data on the psychosocial functioning of adults with CHD, and there are no data on the impact of parental overprotection on heart-focused anxiety in this patient population.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between patient recollections of parental overprotection and current heart-focused anxiety in adults with CHD.


METHODS
A cross-sectional sample of 190 adult patients with CHD (51% male; mean age = 32.28, SD = 11.86 years) completed validated measures of perceived parental overprotection (Parental Bonding Instrument) and heart-focused anxiety (Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire).


RESULTS
The results indicated that perceived parental overprotection (β = 0.19, p = 0.02) and heart defect complexity (β = 0.17, p = 0.03) were significantly related to heart-focused anxiety. Contrary to hypotheses, perceived parental overprotection did not vary as a function of heart defect complexity (F (2, 169) = 0.02, p = 0.98).


CONCLUSIONS
Perceived parental overprotection and heart defect complexity are associated with heart-focused anxiety in adults with congenital heart disease. These results can inform the development of clinical interventions aimed at improving the psychosocial adjustment of this patient population.
Ong
Lephuong
L
OrionHealth Services, 201-3150 E. 54th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5S 1Z1, Canada. lephuong.ong@gmail.com
Nolan
Robert P
RP
Irvine
Jane
J
Kovacs
Adrienne H
AH
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*