Burden In Mothers Research Articles

Psychosocial burden in mothers with epilepsy and their caregiver: Feasibility and preliminary results of a digital screening procedure

ObjectiveThe present study aims to evaluate the feasibility of utilizing a digital procedure to screen for anxiety and depression as well as impairments in psychosocial aspects, such as social support, social activity and quality of life (QoL) in women with epilepsy (WWE) after childbirth. Furthermore, the study intends to digitally screen for burden of the respective caregivers in WWE compared to a healthy control group. Materials and methodsThis comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in the post-partum period on 30 WWE and 33 healthy controls who gave birth between 01/2018 and 05/2021. Additionally, 24 caregivers of WWE and 26 caregivers of healthy mothers took part in this study. Information on psychosocial health and psychosocial burden was collected digitally using the short version of the Social Support Questionnaire, the Social Activity Self-Report Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The caregiver burden was digitally assessed with the Zarit Burden Scale in its German adaptation (i.e., Zarit Burden Interview and the Family Burden Questionnaire). Furthermore, QoL was assessed with the QOLIE-31 (Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory) in WWE and with the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire in healthy controls. ResultsWhen comparing WWE and healthy controls, the groups were comparable on psychosocial aspects, such as self-reported social support, anxiety, depression and social activity, when assessed with self-report measures in a digital screening procedure.Although not significantly different between groups, anxiety, depression, self-reported social support and social activity were correlated with overall QoL in both, WWE and healthy controls.Caregivers of WWE and healthy controls were neither significantly different in their objective burden nor in their subjective burden as reported in digitally applied self-report measures. ConclusionAlthough not significantly different between groups, given the correlation between psychosocial aspects and QoL, it is worthwhile to include these aspects in standard clinical screening extending beyond the screening of anxiety and depression in WWE.Overall, the preliminary psychosocial data presented in this study suggest that a digital assessment of psychosocial burden seems reasonable in WWE and warrants integration into further research and clinical practice.Nevertheless, since no significant differences concerning psychosocial aspects were found in the present study, one may argue that highly specialized clinical care, as provided in the present study, may counteract potential psychosocial impairment experienced by WWE who do not receive such specialized care.Hence, further investigations outside of specialized outpatient clinics as well as prospective investigations of subjective factors that may dynamically change during pregnancy ought to be addressed in clinical practice and research for improving care during and after pregnancy in WWE.

Fibromyalgia syndrome in mothers of children with cerebral palsy and its relationship with caregiver burden: a cross-sectional study

Objectives: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a stress-related disease. The birth of a child with cerebral palsy (CP) is an important stress factor for the mother. This study aims to investigate the incidence of FMS in mothers of children with CP by comparing it with the control group and determining the factors affecting the severity of FMS. Methods: The study included 112 children with CP (age: 38-216 months), their caregiver mother (age: 23-50 years) (Group 1) and 52 non-disabled children (age: 40-180 months), their caregiver mothers (age: 27-50 years) (Group 2). Children were evaluated with the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and the functional independence scale for children (WeeFIM). The mothers were evaluated according to the 2010 ACR FMS diagnostic criteria. The FMS Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale (BCOS) were applied. Results: In Group 1, mothers had higher anxiety-depression scores and caregiving burden than Group 2 (p < 0.05). FMS rate was %31.3 in Group 1 and %5.7 in Group 2. Mothers' anxiety-depression scores, widespread pain index, symptom severity score, pain, and caregiver burden were higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 (p < 0.05). Factors affecting the severity of FMS are the number of siblings of children with CP, the number of siblings with CP, GMFCS, dependence level, anxiety-depression levels of mothers, and caregiver burden. The most influential factor is the caregiver burden. Conclusions: Long-term heavy caregiver burden in mothers of children with CP may be effective in developing FMS.

Evaluation of Psychiatric Symptomatology, Quality of Life, and Caregiver Burden in Mothers and Children with Primary Immunodeficiency

Background: The present study aimed to evaluate the quality of life, depression, and anxiety scores of children with primary immunodeficiency (PID) and depression, anxiety scores, and the caregiving burden of their mothers. Methods: A total of 149 children aged 2-18 years and their mothers were included in the present study, along with 125 healthy children and their mothers as a control group. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), Child Depression Inventory (CDI), and Screening for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire were used based on the views of children and their mothers. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), and Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCB) were used for the mothers. Results: According to children and their mothers, the scores of the PedsQL were lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, according to the views of children and mothers, we found that PID children had higher depression and anxiety scores than healthy children (P < 0.05). The depression and anxiety levels of mothers in the patient group were also significantly higher than those in the control group (P = 0.05 and P = 0.001). Conclusion: Statistically, we found significantly lower psychosocial health summary scores and total scale score levels from the subclass of PedsQL in the patient group than in the control group. According to the views of both children and mothers, we observed that PID children had higher depression and anxiety scores than healthy children. It was also found that the BDI and BAI values in case of mothers in the patient group were significantly higher than those in the control group.

Investigation of Quality of Life of Patients with Atopic Dermatitis and Quality of Life, Psychiatric Symptomatology, and Caregiver Burden of Their Mothers.

The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the quality of life of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), and that of their mothers. We compared the anxiety and depression scores and caregiving burden of mothers of patients with AD with the same scores of mothers of healthy children. A total of 153 patients between the ages of 2 months and 16 years with AD in our clinic, and their mothers, were contained in the patient group. An additional 141 healthy cases between the ages of 2 months and 16 years, and their mothers, were included as the control group. The Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) was completed according to the children's opinions, and the Infant's Dermatitis Quality of Life Index (IDLQI), Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire, and Zarit Caregiver Burden (ZCB) scale were completed based on the mothers' opinions. We detected a positive relationship between the SCORAD index and the IDLQI, CDLQI, and FDLQI scores of children with AD. We found that anxiety, depression, and caregiving burden in mothers of AD cases increased when mothers of AD cases were compared with mothers of healthy children (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, and p < 0.002, respectively). Also, based on the mothers' responses, we noted a positive correlation among the BDI, BAI, ZCB, and SCORAD index scores. Our study found that the quality of life of patients with AD, and that of their mothers, was negatively affected by the disease. We also found that anxiety, depression levels (not at the clinical diagnosis level, and the caregiving burden in mothers of AD cases increased when mothers of AD cases were compared with mothers of healthy children.

Psychometric properties of the caregiving difficulty scale in mothers of children with cerebral palsy

BackgroundThe Caregiving Difficulty Scale is used to measure the burden of caregiving experienced by mothers of children with cerebral palsy. This study aimed to identify the psychometric properties of the Caregiving Difficulty Scale using the Rasch model.MethodsData collected from 206 mothers of children with cerebral palsy were analyzed. Unidimensionality, difficulty of item, rating scale appropriateness, and reliability using the separation index of the Caregiving Difficulty Scale were verified. Unidimensionality of all 25 items was identified through the item fit.ResultsOur analysis of item difficulty indicated that person ability and item difficulty are expressed as a similar logit extend. The use of the 5-point rating scale appeared to be appropriate. Outcome analysis revealed that the reliability was high based on the person and that the item separation level was acceptable.ConclusionsThis study showed that the Caregiving Difficulty Scale could be a valuable tool for evaluating the caregiving burden in mothers of children with cerebral palsy.

Skin-to-skin contact and its effect on mothers’ postpartum psychological distress and their full-term neonate in Egypt

A randomized controlled study was conducted on 400 mothers, who were divided into two groups: 200 mothers who applied skin-to-skin infant care (SSC) for at least 1 h daily for 12 weeks and 200 mothers who performed the usual mother-infant care. The mothers were recruited from the Obstetric Department of Al-Zahraa University Hospital in Cairo, Egypt. The enrolled mothers' infants were assessed for body weight. Sleep hours and frequency of breast milk feeding were evaluated by the mother during the day. All of the mothers who took part in the study were assessed for postoperative pain, wound healing, postpartum depression, anxiety, sleep quality and newborn maternal bonding. There was a significant increase in frequencies of breastfeeding and the body weight at 12 weeks' postnatal age and also an increase in sleep hours in the infants who had SSC. The mothers who performed SSC had good sleep quality in comparison with those who performed the usual infant care; in addition, they had less postoperative pain intensity and proper wound healing apart from better maternal-infant bond, decreased anxiety and decreased depression frequency. SSC was associated with better infant breastfeeding, increased sleep hours in infants and less postpartum psychological burden in mothers.

Evaluation of Psychiatric Symptomatology, Quality of Life, and Caregiver Burden in Mothers and Children with Primary Immunodeficiency.

The present study aimed to evaluate the quality of life, depression, and anxiety scores of children with primary immunodeficiency (PID) and depression, anxiety scores, and the caregiving burden of their mothers. A total of 149 children aged 2-18 years and their mothers were included in the present study, along with 125 healthy children and their mothers as a control group. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), Child Depression Inventory (CDI), and Screening for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire were used based on the views of children and their mothers. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), and Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCB) were used for the mothers. According to children and their mothers, the scores of the PedsQL were lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, according to the views of children and mothers, we found that PID children had higher depression and anxiety scores than healthy children (P < 0.05). The depression and anxiety levels of mothers in the patient group were also significantly higher than those in the control group (P = 0.05 and P = 0.001). Statistically, we found significantly lower psychosocial health summary scores and total scale score levels from the subclass of PedsQL in the patient group than in the control group. According to the views of both children and mothers, we observed that PID children had higher depression and anxiety scores than healthy children. It was also found that the BDI and BAI values in case of mothers in the patient group were significantly higher than those in the control group.

An investigation of the factor structure of a German version of the Eating Disorder Symptom Impact Scale (EDSIS) among parents of adolescents and young adults with anorexia nervosa

The aim of this study was to explore the factor structure, scale characteristics and convergent validity of a German version of the Eating Disorder Symptom Impact Scale (EDSIS). A total of 335 parents of adolescents and young adults with anorexia nervosa in inpatient or outpatient treatment completed the 24-item German translation of the EDSIS and other measures of caregiving burden and psychological distress. We tested a 4 vs. 6-factor model of the EDSIS using confirmatory factor analyses. The 6-factor model treating items as ordinal variables showed the best fit to the data (CFI = 0.949, RMSEA = 0.064). Strong invariance of this model was shown between the sample of mothers and fathers. Internal consistencies of the EDSIS scales were in the acceptable-to-good range. Bottom effects were observed for the ‘Binge-Purge-Impacts’ subscale only. Mothers had significantly higher EDSIS scores compared to fathers. The EDSIS total score and most of the subscores showed substantial positive correlations with caregivers' psychological distress, level of depression, anxiety and expressed emotion as well as negative associations with the level of perceived caregiving skills. The German version of the EDSIS is a useful tool to assess caregiving burden in mothers and fathers of patients with anorexia nervosa.

Effect of Family-Centered Care on Maternal Caring Burden in Premature Infants Admitted to Intensive Care Unit

Background: Birth of a preterm newborn profoundly challenges the mother to play her parenting role. The care burden of the mother affects the entire family system. This study aimed to identify the impact of family centered care on the care burden of mothers with preterm newborns hospitalized in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).&#x0D; Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 59 mothers of preterm newborns hospitalized in the NICU of the Hafiz hospital in Shiraz,Iran, were assessed. A four-stage family-centered care program was implemented in the first seven days of the infant's hospitalization. The control group received routine care. The amount of care burden of the mothers was measured using Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS). The control and experimental groups filled out the questionnaire at the baseline (third day after admission) and the seventh day after hospitalization.&#x0D; Results: After the intervention, the mean score of care burden in mothers in the control and experimental groups were 62.73 ± 7.44 and 58.13 ± 8.17, respectively. The mean score of care burden in mothers in the experimental group was significantly lower than before the intervention. The results of the univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed a significant difference in mean scores of care burden and their subscales in two groups (P=0.04).&#x0D; Conclusion: Family-centered care reduces the care burden of mothers of preterm newborns by emphasizing the helpful presence of the other family members, especially fathers in the NICUs. The family-centered care approach is effective and it has positive effect on parental involvement in the care of the newborn on the process of recovery.

Determination of toxic metal burden and related risk factors in pregnant women: a biological monitoring in Sabzevar, Iran.

Nowadays, the adverse effect of toxic metals on humans is well known, especially in the fetal period such as preventing cognitive development and congenital abnormalities of the central nervous system. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the toxic metal burden in mothers and newborns in Sabzevar. Obtained data can be useful for authorities in public health issues. To determine heavy metals in placental blood and umbilical cord blood, one hundred eighty blood samples were taken from ninety mothers referred to Shahidan Mobini Hospital for delivery. The amount of metals in samples was analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). The results of this study revealed that 21.52%, 26.19%, and 60.71% of maternal blood samples (placental blood) and 16.47%, 56.47%, and 20% of umbilical cord blood samples were higher than the US center for disease control (CDC) recommended levels for Pb, Cd, and As respectively. According to the multiple linear regression analysis, the Pb (p = 0.054), As (p < 0.001), and Se (p < 0.001) levels had an association with the mother's living area. Also, there was a significant association between Se (0.021) and the age of the mother. However, the Se values in its optimum concentrations in the blood (60-140μg/L) can decrease the adverse effects of toxic metals, 72.5% of the pregnant women had Se values below the 60μg/L and only 6% of pregnant women had Se levels higher than 140μg/L. We concluded that the mothers inhabiting the rural areas need more Se sources in their diets.

Maternal Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Psychological Burden in Mothers of Korean Children With Anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is potentially life-threatening, but post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in the caregivers of children with anaphylaxis have not been evaluated. This study aimed to investigate the psychological burden on mothers of children with recent anaphylaxis. A total of 188 children with recent anaphylaxis was recruited from 13 hospitals in Korea. Validated questionnaires, including the Korean versions of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (K-BAI), the Beck Depression Inventory (K-BDI), and the Impact of Event Scale Revised-Korean version (IES-R-K), were used to evaluate maternal anxiety, depression, and PTSS. The median ages of children and their mothers were 4 and 36 years, respectively. PTSS (IES-R-K ≥ 25) were identified in 56.9% of mothers, and 57.9% of them showed severe PTSS. The proportions of mothers who had anxiety (K-BAI ≥ 22) and depression (K-BDI ≥ 17) were 18.6% and 33.0%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that the patient's history of asthma (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 5.46; 95% CI, 1.17-25.59) and the presence of central nervous symptoms (aOR, 3.27; 95% CI, 1.07-9.96) were associated with PTSS. Age of 2 or older (aOR, 2.87; 95% CI, 1.10-7.52) and eggs, milk, or wheat as the cause of anaphylaxis (aOR, 2.87; 95% CI, 1.10-7.52) increased the risk of severe PTSS. The rate of PTSS among mothers of children with recent anaphylaxis was high at 56.9%. Clinicians who care for pediatric anaphylaxis patients should be aware of the psychological burden on their caregivers.

Psychological Burden in Mothers with Metastatic Breast Cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent cancer among parenting-age women in Malaysia. Women with advanced BC with dependent children face additional parental concerns in addition to other psychosocial challenges and comorbid depression and anxiety secondary to disease burden. This interferes with their psychosocial functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This case report highlights the psychological burden faced by a patient with metastatic BC with dependent children. Early symptom recognition and appropriate intervention, as well as strengthening social support may lower their psychological distress and improve HRQOL.

The effect of psychological capital training on psychological burden and emotional self-regulation styles of mothers having children with cerebral palsy

Background and aims: This study aimed to investigate the effect of psychological capital training on psychological burden and emotional self-regulation styles of mothers having children with cerebral palsy. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed in 2019 on mothers of children with cerebral palsy who had files in rehabilitation centers under the supervision of Shahrekord Welfare (n=270). Samples were selected through convenience sampling method such that 30 people were selected from among eligible people and volunteers to cooperate, and then they were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. As for the intervention group, the psychological capital training program was implemented once a week for 10 sessions; but the control group was not given any intervention. Data were collected using the Psychological Burden Questionnaire designed by Zarit et al and the Emotional Self-Regulatory Questionnaire developed by Hoffman and Kashdan in three measurement steps. The collected data were analyzed by multivariate and repeated measure analysis of variance using SPSS-18 software. Results: The results showed that the mean scores of burden, secrecy, adaptability, and tolerance were significantly different in the post-test compared to the pre-test (P&lt;0.05), as well as in the follow-up stage compared to the pre-test (P&lt;0.001). Furthermore, the mean scores of post-test and follow-up for the experimental group increased in comparison with those for the control group in three styles of emotional regulation, and psychological burden decreased (P&lt;0.001). Conclusion: The educational intervention of psychological capital could be adopted to increase using adaptive styles of emotional self-regulation, and to reduce psychological burden of mothers having children with cerebral palsy.

Caregiver Burden And Psychosocial Factors In Mothers With Autism Spectrum Disorder Children

Introduction: Burden experienced by mother can delayed the success of therapy to ASD children. This study aims to determine the correlation of psychosocial factors and caregiver burden in mothers with ASD children.Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analytic study on mothers with ASD children at the Children's Daycare Dr.Soetomo General Hospital. The research instrument used sociodemographic questionnaire and a Caregiver Burden Assessment (CBA). Results: This study was followed by 26 mothers with ASD children. Results: The results showed that 50% of mothers experienced moderate burdens and 34% experienced severe burdens. The results of the correlation analysis showed a significant relationship between caregiver burden and maternal age (p&lt;0.05, r=0.316) and child age (p&lt;0.05, r=0.274). Support and assistance from others in caring for GSA children also correlated with the mother's caregiver burden (p&lt;0.05, r=0.118). Maternal caregiver burden is not correlated with marital status, education level, occupation, and economic status. Conclusion: Mothers with ASD children experience a psychological burden while caring for ASD children. Psychosocial support and assistance from the environment are urgently needed to reduce the caregiver burden on mothers so that they can improve the outcomes of interventions and therapy for children with ASD.

Mental well-being during the first months of Covid-19 in adults and children: behavioral evidence and neural precursors

Pandemics such as the Covid-19 pandemic have shown to impact our physical and mental well-being, with particular challenges for children and families. We describe data from 43 adults (31♀, ages = 22–51; 21 mothers) and 26 children (10♀, ages = 7–17 years) including pre-pandemic brain function and seven assessment points during the first months of the pandemic. We investigated (1) changes in child and adult well-being, (2) mother–child associations of mental well-being, and (3) associations between pre-pandemic brain activation during mentalizing and later fears or burden. In adults the prevalence of clinically significant anxiety-levels was 34.88% and subthreshold depression 32.56%. Caregiver burden in parents was moderately elevated. Overall, scores of depression, anxiety, and caregiver burden decreased across the 11 weeks after Covid-19-onset. Children’s behavioral and emotional problems during Covid-19 did not significantly differ from pre-pandemic levels and decreased during restrictions. Mothers’ subjective burden of care was associated with children’s emotional and behavioral problems, while depression levels in mothers were related to children’s mood. Furthermore, meeting friends was a significant predictor of children’s mood during early restrictions. Pre-pandemic neural correlates of mentalizing in prefrontal regions preceded later development of fear of illnesses and viruses in all participants, while temporoparietal activation preceded higher subjective burden in mothers.

MAKNA KEHADIRAN IBU TUNGGAL TERHADAP PENDIDIKAN ANAK

This find out about discusses the position of moms as single parents in instructing their adolescents with the condition of the living environment, which is a region of localization. Mothers who have been single dad and mom considering that their partner left them ought to play a twin position in assisting their families. The burden of mothers who have to take care of their children, earn a dwelling and educate their kids is quite heavy, many issues will be faced with the aid of mothers in educating their children, with the principal aspect being the surroundings the place the playground is a area of prostitution so that the position of the mom is like to teach their children. Based on the results of the lookup on the function of single parents in instructing their youth in the Bukit Smile localization, it can be viewed that the mother's efforts in carrying out her position as a mother with her own conditions, though there are still problems that prevent her in carrying out her function as a mother and such as lack of time to be with children, it seems that the mother continue to be accountable with their role, they nevertheless attempt to give the quality for teens and try to teach and instill accurate values and things in their children in the hope that their young people do now not get concerned with their playing surroundings and have appropriate morals

Impact of cognitive behavioural intervention on caregiver burden in mothers of children diagnosed with cancer

BackgroundMothers of children diagnosed with cancer are found to have coping difficulties in various studies. Most of the studies were done on parents after their child has been newly diagnosed with malignancy, and very few studies were done on coping skills intervention. Hence, this study has been done to assess the impact of cognitive behavioural intervention on caregiver burden in mothers of children diagnosed with cancer. MethodsTwenty mothers coming to the outpatient department of paediatric oncology from 01 September 2018 to 30 April 2019 were enrolled for the study. The participants were administered General Health Questionnaire, Brief Coping Operation Preference Enquiry Scale, Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations-21 (CISS-21) Scale. Sixteen sessions of cognitive behavioural intervention were given over 8 weeks to all the participants. Reassessment was done after 3 months by use of the above mentioned scales. ResultsParticipants’ mean anxiety score was 49.40 (standard deviation [SD] ±8.89). They used adaptive (active coping and positive reframing) more than the maladaptive (denial and self-blame) coping strategies. Task- and emotion-focused coping mean score on CISS-21 revealed 19.25 (SD ±6.20) and 18.90 (SD ±5.76), respectively. Reassessment after cognitive behavioural intervention revealed statistically significant improvement in maladaptive coping styles, mean anxiety index score, avoidance, and emotion-focused coping. ConclusionThe study has revealed mild to moderate anxiety and the use of both adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies by participants. There is statistically significant improvement in anxiety, maladaptive coping strategies with cognitive behavioural intervention.

Assessment of Have Problems and Care Burdens of Mothers with Handicapped Children in COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT In the study, it was aimed to evaluate the problems and care burden of mothers who have a handicapped child in the pandemic process. The population of the descriptive study consisted of the mothers of the children who came to the rehabilitation center (n = 230), and the sampling consisted of the mothers who wanted to participate in the study (n = 216). The research data were collected through social media and the data were analyzed using the mean, standard deviation, percentage and frequency measurements, independent sample t test, Oneway anova, Kruskal wallis tests in the SPSS program. In the study, Burden Interview Scale (BIS) scores of the mothers who stated that the educational status of their child was adversely affected in the pandemic, stated that they were worried that there would be someone to take care of my child if I died, stated that the child’s health checks were interrupted, stated that they did not send their child to school due to the fear of COVID-19, and reported that they had a problem in reaching the health institution was determined were significantly higher than. Mothers with handicapped children stated that their children experienced difficulties in important situations such as health checks and educations during the pandemic period. In addition, it was found that the care burden of these mothers was higher. During the pandemic period, it is necessary to make and support new regulations in accordance with the disability of these special children with state policies as well as healthcare professionals.

Investigation of Anxiety, Depression and Perceived Caregiving Burden in Parents of Pediatric Patients Undergoing Open Heart Surgery and Being Followed Up in Intensive Care

Introduction: This study aims to investigate the relationship between anxiety levels and perceived caregiver burden in mothers of children who had undergone congenital heart disease surgery and who were followed up in the intensive care unit with the surgical type and clinical variables applied. Patients and Methods: The study was conducted with the mothers of both patient groups who underwent palliative surgery (n= 32) or corrective (biventricular) repair (n= 35) in the pediatric cardiovascular surgery clinic of Kartal Koşuyolu High Specialization Training and Research Hospital. Sociodemographic-clinical data form, Beck depression inventory, standardized mini-mental test, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI TX I-II), and Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) were applied to the parents. Results: The rate of interventional birth was higher in the palliative surgery group whereas there was no difference between the palliative surgery and corrective repair groups in terms of age, gender, birth weights, and presence of additional diseases (p= 0.001). There was no difference between maternal education levels and pregnancy duration. This difference was not significant even though the mean age of the mothers in the corrective repair group was higher compared to the palliative surgery group. The mean STAI-S scores of the palliative surgery group (state anxiety) were lower than the corrective repair group, and the STAI-T scores of the palliative surgery group (trait anxiety) were higher. The ZBI scores were significantly higher in the palliative surgery group (p= 0.03). Conclusion: Congenital heart diseases and surgical interventions, as a result, are a major source of distress for affected families. Mothers are mainly affected by this situation. Changes in the mental status of the caregiver may have serious adverse effects on the operated child at every stage of the disease. Caregiving in parents is perceived as a burden and increased anxiety leads to different psychiatric clinical manifestations. Therefore, it is recommended that parents of children who have undergone congenital cardiac surgery receive routine psychiatric support from the early stages of the disease.

Mental health experiences of mothers in Jos, Nigeria: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Objectives:There is an increasing mental health disease burden in mothers with infants and young children, especially in low- and middle-income countries such as Nigeria. Children of distressed mothers suffer early-life exposure from the effects of maternal distress which contributes to the risk of physical and mental health problems in their childhood and beyond. This study explored mental health lived experiences of mothers in Jos, Nigeria.Methods:Purposive and Snowball sampling techniques were adopted, and a total of 40 mothers participated with 8 to 11 participants in one of the four focus group discussions. Participants were between the ages of 18 and 43 years, self-identified as mothers with each having a child between the ages of 3 and 48 months. Each focus group lasted approximately 60 minutes and was audio-recorded. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.Results:Three overarching themes emerged from the data set such as (1) experience of persisting psychological distress from the time of labour/birth; (2) cultural practices that influence feelings; and (3) anxiety due to limited knowledge about childcare, access to support and healthy food.Conclusion:Maternal mental health in Nigeria is under-researched and distressed mothers have limited knowledge about evidence-based early child development. The study recommends developing and testing culturally appropriate parenting interventions in Jos, Nigeria. This is likely to be beneficial for the mother and may also improve child health outcomes.