Parental post-traumatic stress, overprotective parenting, and emotional and behavioural problems for children with critical congenital heart disease

• Published in: Cardiology in the young Vol. 32; no. 5; pp. 738 - 745
• Main Authors: McWhorter, Linda G., Christofferson, Jennifer, Neely, Trent, Hildenbrand, Aimee K., Alderfer, Melissa A., Randall, Amy, Kazak, Anne E., Sood, Erica
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.05.2022
• Subjects: Bivariate analysis; Cardiovascular disease; Child; Children; Children & youth; Clusters; Consent; Criteria; Emotional behavior; Families & family life; Heart Defects, Congenital; Heart diseases; Humans; Mental disorders; Mental health; Original Article; Parenting - psychology; Parents; Parents & parenting; Parents - psychology; Physiology; Post traumatic stress disorder; Post-traumatic growth; Problem Behavior - psychology; Psychological stress; Psychosocial/Exercise/Obesity/Quality of Life; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Risk factors; Signs and symptoms; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - etiology; overprotective parenting; post-traumatic stress disorder; Congenital heart disease; neurodevelopmental outcomes; post-traumatic stress
• ISSN: 1047-9511; 1467-1107; 1467-1107
• DOI: 10.1017/S1047951121002912

To examine relationships amongst parental post-traumatic stress symptoms, parental post-traumatic growth, overprotective parenting, and child emotional/behavioural problems in families of children with critical CHD. Sixty parents (15 fathers) of children aged 1-6 completed online questionnaires assessing parental post-traumatic stress symptoms and post-traumatic growth, overprotective parenting, and child emotional/behavioural problems. Bivariate correlations and mediational analyses were conducted to evaluate overprotective parenting as a mediator of the association between parental post-traumatic stress symptoms and child emotional/behavioural problems. Parents reported significant post-traumatic stress symptoms, with over 18% meeting criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder and 70% meeting criteria in one or more clusters. Parental post-traumatic growth was positively correlated with intrusion (r = .32, p = .01) but it was not associated with other post-traumatic stress symptom clusters. Parental post-traumatic stress symptoms were positively associated with overprotective parenting (r = .37, p = .008) and total child emotional/behavioural problems (r = .29, p = .037). Overprotective parenting was positively associated with total child emotional/behavioural problems (r = .45, p = .001) and fully mediated the relationship between parental post-traumatic stress symptoms and child emotional/behavioural problems. Overprotective parenting mediates the relationship between parental post-traumatic stress symptoms and child emotional and behavioural problems in families of children with CHD. Both parental post-traumatic stress symptoms and overprotective parenting may be modifiable risk factors for poor child outcomes. This study highlights the need for interventions to prevent or reduce parental post-traumatic stress symptoms and to promote effective parenting following a diagnosis of CHD.