Mental Health Among Parents of Children With Critical Congenital Heart Defects: A Systematic Review.
Parents of children with critical congenital heart defects (PCCHDs) may be at high risk for mental health morbidity; however, the literature is not well characterized. Given that compromised parental mental health can lead to long-term cognitive, health-related, and behavioral problems in children, a systematic review of this literature could provide informed recommendations for continued research and enhance the care of families of children living with critical congenital heart defects.



We conducted a systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines that resulted in 30 studies on the mental health of PCCHDs. The literature revealed that PCCHDs are at an elevated risk for psychological problems, particularly in the immediate weeks and months following cardiac surgery. Up to 30% of PCCHDs have symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder, with over 80% presenting with clinically significant symptoms of trauma; 25% to 50% of PCCHDs reported clinically elevated symptoms of depression and/or anxiety, and 30% to 80% reported experiencing severe psychological distress. There was high variability in measurements used to assess study outcomes, methodological quality, and sociocultural composition of the parents included in the studies.



There is an urgent need for additional research on the severity, course, persistence, and moderators of these mental health problems over time, and for the development and testing of screening approaches and interventions that can be feasibly delivered in the context of ongoing pediatric cardiac care.
Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY sewoolf@syr.edu.|Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
Sarah E
SE
Woolf-King
Department of Community Health Systems, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.|Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Heart Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
Alexandra
A
Anger
Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
Emily A
EA
Arnold
Department of Community Health Systems, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
Sandra J
SJ
Weiss
Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Heart Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
David
D
Teitel
D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology*; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological
caregiver; congenital cardiac defect; congenital heart disease; mental disorder; psychology and behavior