Psychological distress and styles of coping in parents of children awaiting elective cardiac surgery

Aims. We sought to assess the level of psychological distress, and the styl es of coping of, parents of children with congenital heart disease. The stu dy was based on questionnaires, which were completed, on average, four week s, with a range from 0.1 to 22.1 weeks, prior to elective cardiac surgery o r elective catheter intervention. Methods: We used the General Health Quest ionnaire, and the Utrecht Coping List, to compare scores from parents of th ose undergoing surgery, with scores of reference groups, and with scores of the parents of those undergoing intervention. Results. Overall, in compari son with our reference groups, the parents of the 75 children undergoing su rgery showed elevated levels of psychological distress, manifested as anxie ty, sleeplessness, and social dysfunctioning. They also demonstrated less a dequate styles of coping, being, for example, less active in solving proble ms. With only one exception, no differences were demonstrated in parental r eactions to whether cardiac surgery or catheter intervention had been plann ed. The mothers of the 68 patients who were to undergo cardiac surgery, how ever, reported greater psychological distress and manifested greater proble ms with coping than did the fathers. Conclusion: Elevated levels of psychol ogical distress, and less adequate styles of coping, were found in the pare nts of patients about to undergo cardiac surgery, especially the mothers, w hen compared to reference groups. Future research should investigate whethe r these difficulties persist, and whether this will influence the emotional development of their children with congenital cardiac malformations.