Psychiatry Research EG

Objectives Early-onset physical morbidity is likely to affect the emotional balance and behavioral adaptation of children and adolescents. Few published studies have investigated psychological morbidity in children with rheumatic heart diseases (RHD). Our work aims to explore the psychiatric symptoms in addition to total competence and quality of life in a sample of Egyptian children with RHD in comparison with those with no RHD and with healthy controls. Participants and methods Children (age 6–18 years) with RHD (n = 24), those with congenital or other heart diseases (non-RHD) (n = 23), and healthy control children (n = 28) were recruited. The Arabic version of the Child Behavior Checklist was completed by parents. Results After adjustment for different socioeconomic statuses, all children with heart diseases were found to show more internalizing problems and post-traumatic stress compared with healthy children. Non-RHD children showed more generalized and social anxiety, whereas those with RHD showed higher levels of obsessive–compulsive problems. Conclusion Children with heart diseases suffer from high internalizing psychological stress. More effort needs to be made for the early identification and management of psychological morbidity in children with RHD, especially for anxiety and obsessive compulsive symptoms. Keywords: behavioral, children, heart, psychiatric, rheumatic