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Stress and Coping Factors Affecting Health-Related Quality of Life in Parents of Children with Congenital Heart Disease: An Integrative Review

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Abstract

Parents of children with congenital heart disease experience unique stressors that affect their psychological well-being and health-related quality of life. A parent’s ability to cope effectively influences how they adjust to stressful situations. The purpose of this review is to synthesize the factors influencing HRQoL in parents of children with congenital heart disease under the lens of the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping framework to identify areas for intervention and future research. An integrative literature review was conducted by keyword search of online databases PubMed, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Medline from 2011 to 2022. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to search results and studies were assessed for quality using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool. The initial search yielded 1026 unique papers, and 24 were included based on the predefined criteria. The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping was applied to organize results and generate themes. Results showed a child’s hospitalization is a time of uncertainty and distress for parents of children with congenital heart disease. Effective problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies can lead to reduced stress and improved health-related quality of life for parents. Additionally, multiple variables moderate the relationship between a parent’s perceived stress and adjustment. Health care teams should focus on targeted education, faith, coping, and social support interventions. Further research is needed that examines the effect of mental health factors, cultural differences, and socioeconomic variables on the health-related quality of life of parents of children with congenital heart disease.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the following individuals for their expertise and assistance in writing this manuscript. Dr. Sarah Miller, Associate Professor in the College of Nursing at Medical University of South Carolina, and Drs. Michelle Cohen and John D. Dinolfo, Assistant Professors in the Center for Academic Excellence Writing Center at the Medical University of South Carolina, reviewed, edited, and provided feedback for drafts of this manuscript. Additionally, Ayaba Logan, medical librarian for the College of Nursing at Medical University of South Carolina, helped with creating the search strategy. The knowledge, enthusiasm, and attention to detail of these individuals was invaluable during the writing process.

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  1. College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA

    Lianne Cole, Leigh Ridings & Shannon M. Phillips

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All authors contributed to the manuscript conception. LC: wrote the main manuscript text. SP and LR: reviewed and edited the manuscript.

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Cole, L., Ridings, L. & Phillips, S.M. Stress and Coping Factors Affecting Health-Related Quality of Life in Parents of Children with Congenital Heart Disease: An Integrative Review. Pediatr Cardiol 45, 457–470 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-023-03227-5

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