title: Birth of a child with congenital heart disease: emotional reactions of mothers and fathers according to time of diagnosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate emotional distress, depression and quality of life in parents of infants with severe congenital heart disease (CHD) during their first hospitalization.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pilot study for 38 parental couples of infants with CHD hospitalized within the 3 months of life. Parents filled up three self-administered questionnaires. We compared differences in the variables measuring emotional distress, depression and quality of life between mothers and fathers, and between prenatal and postnatal diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Stress and depression levels were significantly higher in mothers than in fathers (stress: 81.8% mothers versus 60.6% fathers; depression: 45.7% mothers versus 20.0% fathers). No difference were found between prenatal and postnatal groups in any field tested but, in percentage, mothers receiving prenatal diagnosis were more depressed, whereas those receiving postnatal diagnosis were more stressed. Fathers showed same tendency.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents of newborns with severe CHD, especially mothers, need psychological support during their child's hospitalization. Parents of children diagnosed prenatally may need counseling throughout pregnancy to help them recover from the loss of the imagined healthy child.
authors: Department of Neonatology, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
authors: Francesca
authors: F
authors: Bevilacqua
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: Palatta
authors: Nadia
authors: N
authors: Mirante
authors: Marina
authors: M
authors: Cuttini
authors: Giulio
authors: G
authors: Seganti
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Dotta
authors: Fiammetta
authors: F
authors: Piersigilli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology