title: Longitudinal analysis of emotional problems in children with congenital heart defects: a follow-up from age 6 to 36 months.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether children with varying severity of congenital heart defects (CHDs) have a higher risk of internalizing or externalizing emotional problems at 36 months of age. In addition, to analyze whether a history of emotional problems at 6 or 18 months of age increases the risk of emotional problems at 36 months in children with CHDs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, was linked with a nationwide CHD registry, and 175 children with CHDs were identified in a cohort of 44,104 children aged 36 months. Maternal reports on child characteristics were assessed by questionnaires at child age 6, 18, and 36 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with CHDs did not have elevated scores on internalizing or externalizing problems at 36 months of age compared with controls. Not even the children with CHDs with a history of emotional problems at age 6 or 18 months showed an increased risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The absence of risk of emotional problems at 36 months of age in children with CHDs could be a consequence of the completion of the most extensive medical treatment.
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health, Department of Psychosomatics and Health Behavior, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway. kim.stene-larsen@fhi.no
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stene-Larsen
authors.forename: Ragnhild Eek
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Brandlistuen
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Holmstrøm
authors.forename: Markus A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Landolt
authors.forename: Leif T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Eskedal
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Engdahl
authors.forename: Margarete E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Vollrath
mesh_terms: D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires