Psychiatry Research EG

Introduction Caregivers of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are subjected to significant psychological burden. Aim The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of depression and anxiety in the caregivers of children with CHD and identify the risk factors related to the development of such disorders. Participants and methods This is a cross-sectional case–control study. It includes 115 caregivers of children with CHD and 40 caregivers of apparently healthy children. All participants were assessed using a designed questionnaire, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Beck Depression Inventory, and Taylor’s Manifest Anxiety Scale. Results Prevalence of depression was higher among caregivers of children with CHD compared with control caregivers (32.2 vs. 12.5%; P= 0.016). As regards depression severity on the basis of Beck Depression Inventory, 17.4% of caregivers of children with CHD had mild depression, 13% had moderate depression, and 1.7% had severe depression. Further, the prevalence of anxiety was higher among the caregivers of children with CHD compared with control caregivers (37.4 vs. 17.5%; P= 0.02). On using Taylor’s Manifest Anxiety Scale, 18.3% of patient caregivers were seen to have mild anxiety, 17.4% to have moderate anxiety, and 1.7% to have severe anxiety. Multivariate analysis of risk factors showed that the level of parent education (being illiterate), financial concern, and severity of the child’s cardiac functional class were independent predictors of anxiety and depression among the caregivers of children with CHD. Conclusion Given the increased risk for depression and anxiety among the caregivers of children with CHD, it is advisable to institute routine psychiatric screening for those caregivers. Keywords: anxiety, Beck Depression Inventory, caregivers, congenital heart disease, depression, Taylor’s Manifest Anxiety Scale