title: Emotional functioning of adolescents and adults with congenital heart disease: a meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to quantitatively compare findings of emotional functioning across studies of adolescents and adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) through meta-analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The current meta-analysis included 22 studies of adolescent and adult survivors of CHD who completed measures of emotional functioning. Effect sizes were represented by Hedge's g. Heterogeneity was calculated and possible moderators (i.e., lesion severity, age, study location, study quality) were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, adolescent and adult survivors of CHD did not differ in emotional functioning from healthy controls or normative data. However, significant heterogeneity was found, and there was a trend for degree of lesion severity to moderate emotional functioning. Further analysis of lesion severity indicated that individuals with moderate lesions reported better emotional functioning than controls/normative data. Limitations in existing literature precluded examination of patient age as a moderator. Study location and quality did not explain a significant portion of the variance in effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that differences in emotional functioning may exist across lesion severities, and individuals with moderately severe lesions are emotionally thriving. Given the diversity within CHD lesion classifications, future studies should include other indicators of disease severity, such as measures of morbidity, to determine how disease may affect emotional functioning among survivors of CHD. Furthermore, authors and journals need to ensure that research is reported in enough detail to facilitate meta-analysis, a critically important tool in answering discrepancies in the literature.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biobehavioral Health, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Jamie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Misiti
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bridge
authors.forename: Curt J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Daniels
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vannatta
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004644:Emotions; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Emotional Distress; Emotional Functioning; Meta-Analysis