Brief report: Parental burden and grief one year after the birth of a child with a congenital anomaly

Objective: To assess parental burden and grief one year after having a chil d with a congenital anomaly. Method: Twenty-five couples completed the Impact on Family Scale (IFS) and 22 couples answered the Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS). In addition, 27 mother s completed the Functional Health Status Scale (FSII-R). Results: Mothers and fathers showed no significant differences in overall b urden (IFS) and grief (PGS). Regarding the subscales, mothers reported sign ificantly more personal strain. Foreknowledge from prenatal diagnosis about the anomaly, a low perceived functional health status of the child, and mu ltiple congenital anomalies increased the burden and grief. Conclusions: A perinatal counseling team that provides clear and consistent information about the anomalies, the treatment, and the prognosis would he lp to reduce unnecessary stress and uncertainty, particularly for parents w ho received prenatal information and whose infant has multiple congenital a nomalies.