Quality of life among parents of children with congenital heart disease, parents of children with other diseases and parents of healthy children.

Abstract

We compared quality of life among parents of children with congenital heart disease (PCCHD, n = 1092), parents of children with other diseases (PCOD, n = 112) and parents of healthy children (PHC, n = 293). We also identified determinants of quality of life among the parents. The parents completed a questionnaire about such areas as quality of life and financial situation. The design was cross-sectional and data were collected during 20 consecutive days. The univariate analyses showed that PCCHD tended to report lower quality of life than PHC. Mothers reported lower quality of life than fathers, with the lowest levels among mothers of children with CHD. The multivariate analyses revealed however that variables such as distress, hopelessness and financial situation were more important in explaining the reduced quality of life than parental gender and the presence/severity of the children's heart diseases. We corroborated previous findings and may have provided new insights into the quality of life experiences of parents of children with CHD that may be important when considering interventions to improve their situation.