Abstract
This study aims to analyze the potential impact of taking care of a child with congenital Zika virus syndrome (CZS) on the mental health of parents. Specifically, three objectives were formulated: (a) to assess the level of mental health of the parents; (b) to examine the influence of subjective well-being and fatigue as predictors of parents’ mental health; and (c) to identify the impact of sociodemographic variables on parents’ mental health. Sixty-nine mothers (Mage = 26.38; SD = 6.23) and 17 fathers (Mage = 31.41; SD = 7.57) of children diagnosed with CZS took part in this study. They answered a questionnaire containing measures of positive and negative affects, life satisfaction, fatigue, mental health, as well as sociodemographic questions. The results indicated that approximately 7% of the participants had low levels of mental health and probable emotional disorder. In addition, higher levels of fatigue and negative affects and lower levels of life satisfaction significantly predict a lower level of mental health. Finally, comparative analysis showed significant differences between fathers and mothers: mothers reported experiencing fewer positive and more negative affects, a lower level of satisfaction with life, a higher level of fatigue and worse mental health. In summary, this article presents an overview of the mental health of mothers and fathers of children with CZS and points the way to devising strategies for psychological intervention that promote the adaptation of parents to this kind of developmental disability in the family.
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Author Contributions
L.E.C.S.: designed and executed the study, assisted with data collection, and final revision of the manuscript. T.J.S.L.: designed and executed the study, assisted with the data analyses, and wrote the paper. E.M.R: contributed by critically reviewing the theoretical content and discussion of results. A.L.S.P.: contributed by critically reviewing the theoretical content and discussion of results. T.C.F.: collaborated with the data collection and text revision. L.B.P.L.: collaborated with the data collection and text revision.
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All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study is part of a larger project that has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of Albert Sabin Children’s Hospital in Fortaleza, Brazil (registration number: 1.743.023).
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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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de Souza, L.E.C., de Lima, T.J.S., Ribeiro, E.M. et al. Mental Health of Parents of Children with Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome in Brazil. J Child Fam Stud 27, 1207–1215 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0969-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0969-0