Well-being in Mothers of Children with Congenital Heart Defects: a 3-year Follow-up

Overview

Journal Qual Life Res

Specialties Pharmacology
Rehabilitation Medicine

Date 2012 Dec 1

PMID 23196922

Citations 9

Authors

Maria T Gronning Dale

Oivind Solberg

Henrik Holmstrom

Markus A Landolt

Leif T Eskedal

Margarete E Vollrath

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: This prospective case-cohort study compared subjective well-being (SWB) among mothers whose children had various degrees of congenital heart defects (CHD) with mothers of children without CHD (controls).

Methods: Nationwide CHD registry data were linked to data collected from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study at gestational week 30, 6 months, and 36 months postpartum. A total of 175 mothers of children with mild, moderate, and severe CHD were identified in a cohort of 44,144 mothers. The SWB index was operationalized by means of three subscales: a cognitive aspect, positive affect, and negative affect.

Results: Mothers of children with severe CHD reported significantly lower SWB than the controls at 6 months postpartum (p = .003), with further decrease in SWB at 36 months postpartum (p = .001). SWB levels in the mild and moderate CHD group did not deviate significantly from controls.

Conclusions: The findings suggest a pattern in which all stressors concerning the severely ill child lead to significant deterioration of maternal well-being. Having a child with mild or moderate CHD, which is a less severe and shorter-term stressor, did not reduce mothers' well-being.

Citing Articles

Parents' Psychological and Decision-Making Outcomes following Prenatal Diagnosis with Complex Congenital Heart Defect: An Exploratory Study.

Thorpe A, Delaney R, Pinto N, Ozanne E, Pershing M, Hansen L MDM Policy Pract. 2023; 8(2):23814683231204551.

PMID: 37920604 PMC: 10619352. DOI: 10.1177/23814683231204551.

Mental health-related quality of life in mothers of children with surgically repaired congenital heart disease: a 13-year longitudinal study.

Ehrler M, Wettach C, Beck I, Valsangiacomo Buechel E, Latal B, Landolt M Qual Life Res. 2023; 32(10):2975-2986.

PMID: 37248407 PMC: 10474212. DOI: 10.1007/s11136-023-03440-y.

Association Between Children With Life-Threatening Conditions and Their Parents' and Siblings' Mental and Physical Health.

Feudtner C, Nye R, Boyden J, Schwartz K, Korn E, DeWitt A JAMA Netw Open. 2021; 4(12):e2137250.

PMID: 34928360 PMC: 8689391. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.37250.

Parents of Very Young Children with Congenital Heart Defects Report Good Quality of Life for Their Children and Families Regardless of Defect Severity.

Lee J, Cinanni N, Di Cristofaro N, Lee S, Dillenburg R, Adamo K Pediatr Cardiol. 2019; 41(1):46-53.

PMID: 31701166 DOI: 10.1007/s00246-019-02220-1.

Improving maternal-infant bonding after prenatal diagnosis of CHD.

Barker P, Tatum G, Campbell M, Camitta M, Milazzo A, Hornik C Cardiol Young. 2018; 28(11):1306-1315.

PMID: 30079851 PMC: 6197928. DOI: 10.1017/S104795111800121X.

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