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Parental perceptions of congenital cardiovascular malformations in their children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 November 2015

Sameera Ezzat
Affiliation:
National Liver Institute, Menoufiya University, Shibin El Kom, Egypt
Osamah Saeedi
Affiliation:
University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Doa’a A. Saleh
Affiliation:
Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
Hala Hamzeh
Affiliation:
Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
Mohamed A. Hamid
Affiliation:
Minia University, Al Minia, Egypt
Nancy Crowell
Affiliation:
Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
Camille Boostrom
Affiliation:
Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Christopher A. Loffredo*
Affiliation:
Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
Irene A. Jillson
Affiliation:
Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
*
Correspondence to: Dr C. A. Loffredo, Department of Oncology, Georgetown University, 3800 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20057, United States of America. Tel: +202 687 3758; Fax: +202 687 0313; E-mail: cal9@georgetown.edu

Abstract

We assessed parental attitudes towards congenital cardiovascular malformations in their children in a cross-sectional study in Egypt. Parents face many problems related to concerns about their child’s prognosis, but these associations with parental stress have never been evaluated in Egypt or examined in relation to religiosity in a predominantly Muslim society. Accordingly, we conducted interviews in Cairo with mothers of 99 sequential infants born with conotruncal heart malformations (cases) and 65 mothers of age-matched controls. The survey assessed healthcare access and usage, knowledge of congenital cardiovascular malformations, religiosity, the Locus of Control Scale, and the Parenting Stress Index. Results showed that 45% of the mothers of cases had correct knowledge about their child’s diagnosis; 85% were satisfied with the clinical care; and 79% reported that the cost of care was burdensome. Compared with parents of cases, parents of controls were more likely to report stress overall and all its subscales. Regarding belief about locus of control over health, God as a determining factor was given the highest endorsement. Mothers in the congenital cardiovascular malformations group reported a higher level of parental locus of control than did those in the control group. The correlations between stress and locus of control were stronger in the control than in the case group. Religiosity was related neither to stress nor to locus of control. Future studies can explore the roles that personal, familial, and societal factors play in exacerbating or reducing stress levels among parents of sick children, particularly in developing countries where economic pressures are acute.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2015 

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