Psychological impact on parents of children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia: a study from Sri Lanka.
BACKGROUND
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a group of autosomal recessively inherited disorders with significant morbidity. The long-term implications result in immense psychological stress to the parents. This study assessing the psychological impact on the parents is a first in Sri Lanka and one of the few worldwide.


OBJECTIVE
Document the presence of depressive symptoms in parents of children with CAH.


METHODS
Study participants were 37 parents of children diagnosed with CAH who were attending an endocrinology clinic of the largest children's hospital in Sri Lanka. Centre for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D), a psychometrically sound scale for assessing depressive symptomatology, was used.


RESULTS
The study classified 59% of the parents as being affected, and the psychological impact on them did not reduce with time.


CONCLUSIONS
Parents of children with CAH demonstrated symptoms of depression that did not abate with the passage of time.
K S H
KS
de Silva
Piyanjali
P
de Zoysa
W M S
WM
Dilanka
B S
BS
Dissanayake
D000312:Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires