Parents of children with congenital heart defects during the COVID-19 pandemic: An examination of mental health variables, risk factors, and protective factors

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the mental health burden or the factors that contribute to mental health variables in parents of children with congenital heart defects (CHD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine risk and protective factors associated with anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, and perceived stress in parents of young children with CHD during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A nonexperimental design was used in this study of 127 parents of children aged newborn to five years with CHD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between COVID-19 stressors, CHD care-related factors, parental resilience, external support, and mental health variables. RESULTS: Parental resilience, emotional support, and informational support were key protective factors for anxiety, depression, and stress. However, resilience was remarkably low in CHD parents. Increased levels of anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, and perceived stress were associated with 1) Exposure to a greater number of COVID-19-related stressors, 2) Distress from family visitation restrictions during healthcare encounters, 3) Worry related to the perceived risk of their CHD child's exposure to COVID-19 during healthcare encounters, and 4) Worry about their CHD child's risk of death or serious illness from COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: The additive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic plus CHD care-related worries on this parent population's mental health is significant. Interventions that promote resilience, address the effect of healthcare system changes, and support the needs of parents of young children with CHD during this and future pandemics are needed.