Predictors of psychological functioning in mothers and fathers of infants born with severe congenital heart disease

Nicola Doherty; Christopher G. McCusker; Bernadette Molloy; Connor Mulholland; Nichola Rooney; Brian Craig; Andrew Sands; Moira Stewart; Francis Casey

doi:10.1080/02646830903190920

Predictors of psychological functioning in mothers and fathers of infants born with severe congenital heart disease

Nicola Doherty, Christopher G. McCusker, Bernadette Molloy, Connor Mulholland, Nichola Rooney, Brian Craig, Andrew Sands, Moira Stewart, Francis Casey

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

67 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study examined mental health and coping styles in both mothers and fathers of infants born with a severe congenital heart defect. Factors associated with mental health outcomes were elucidated. Parents of 70 infants, recently born with a severe congenital heart defect, completed questionnaires which examined psychological functioning and coping strategies. Disease, surgical and psychosocial factors were examined for their significance in predicting psychological functioning. Findings indicated elevated levels of clinically significant psychological distress in mothers, compared to fathers, and differences between parents in coping styles. Regression analyses suggested that the extent of distress in both parents was not primarily predicted by illness or demographic factors. Rather, certain coping styles, knowledge, subjective worry and family functioning emerged as significant predictive variables. Implications for early intervention are discussed.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	390-400
Number of pages	11
Journal	Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology
Volume	27
Issue number	4
Early online date	15 Oct 2009
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/02646830903190920
Publication status	Published (in print/issue) - 2009

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors wish to acknowledge the support of the National Lotteries Charity Board.

Keywords

Congenital heart disease
Coping
Infancy
Parental mental health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1080/02646830903190920

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Doherty, N., McCusker, C. G., Molloy, B., Mulholland, C., Rooney, N., Craig, B., Sands, A., Stewart, M., & Casey, F. (2009). Predictors of psychological functioning in mothers and fathers of infants born with severe congenital heart disease. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 27(4), 390-400. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646830903190920

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author = "Nicola Doherty and McCusker, {Christopher G.} and Bernadette Molloy and Connor Mulholland and Nichola Rooney and Brian Craig and Andrew Sands and Moira Stewart and Francis Casey",

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AU - Doherty, Nicola

AU - McCusker, Christopher G.

AU - Molloy, Bernadette

AU - Mulholland, Connor

AU - Rooney, Nichola

AU - Craig, Brian

AU - Sands, Andrew

AU - Stewart, Moira

AU - Casey, Francis

N1 - Funding Information: The authors wish to acknowledge the support of the National Lotteries Charity Board.

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Predictors of psychological functioning in mothers and fathers of infants born with severe congenital heart disease

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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