Parenting After Infant Congenital Heart Defect Diagnosis

Completed

• Conditions: Congenital Heart Disease

• Registration Number: NCT01503307
• Lead Sponsor: Medical College of Wisconsin

Brief Summary

The purpose of this research study is to learn about parents' experiences following diagnosis of a fetal/neonatal Congenital Heart Defect (CHD). Nurses, physicians, and other health-care clinicians will benefit from an improved understanding of what the diagnosis means to parents and what they expect concerning the infant, being a parent, and caregiving tasks and responsibilities. The investigators expect that the knowledge gained will increase clinicians' ability to respond to parents' needs.

Detailed Description

Parental mental health status is linked to the development and quality of caregiving, as well as physiological and psychosocial outcomes for the infant/child with a heart defect.

This is an evolving population of parents with most challenged prenatally with a fetal diagnosis and later as caregivers for medically complex infants. Parents with pre- and postnatally diagnosed infants are at risk for sub-optimal mental health. Parents' experiences and needs differ by timing of diagnosis.

Several gaps in the literature exist. First, advances in technology raise questions about how becoming a caregiver is experienced considering the timing of the diagnosis. Second, little is known about how the timing of the diagnosis could influence parents' mental health status and caregiving after diagnosis. Finally, more study is needed to identify the type, timing and duration of intervention to support these parents as caregivers and optimize their infants' health.

Data collected for this study included demographic and health information (from parents and infant health records), measures of distress (symptoms of depression, anxiety and trauma), and interviews. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents in person in the hospital and home settings. Interviews with each couple in the prenatally diagnosed group were conducted once during the third trimester of pregnancy and once within 12 weeks after birth. Interviews with each couple or mother in the postnatally diagnosed group were conducted once within 12 weeks after birth. Interviews lasted 1-3 hours, were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim for analysis. Field notes were also written and audio recorded for use in analysis.

Directed content analysis has been used to describe parents' experiences and caregiving motivations in relation to parental distress and severity of infant illness. Analysis of data is ongoing. Additional analyses are expected to further improve knowledge on the differing needs of parents of pre- and postnatally diagnosed infants, as well as parents' experiences and caregiving motivations in the context of discharge from tertiary care.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2009-01
• Study First Submitted: 2011-12-28
• Study First Submitted QC: 2011-12-30
• Study First Posted: 2012-01-04
• Primary Completion: 2016-07
• Study Completion: 2016-07
• Status Verified: 2019-10
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-10-23
• Last Update Posted: 2019-10-25

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 23

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

• no CHD diagnosis

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Creation of a typology of perinatal internal working models of parenting in congenital heart disease.	1 year	Qualitative analysis of interviews.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Parent outcomes	1 year	Impact of Event Scale - Stress Reactions Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale - Depression State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - Anxiety

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

University of Wisconsin Madison; 🇺🇸 Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Children's Hospital of Wisconsin; 🇺🇸 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States