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Development of personality and intelligence in children with congenital heart disease
H H Kramer1, D Awiszus, U Sterzel
1Department of Paediatric Cardiology, University of Düsseldorf, West Germany.
Insights
Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and physical handicaps show lower IQ scores. Despite parental reports of no behavioral differences, these children exhibit increased anxiety and inferiority feelings.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Cardiology
Background:
- Congenital heart disease (CHD) can impact child development.
- Understanding the psychological and intellectual effects of CHD is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare personality and intelligence development in children with CHD versus healthy controls.
- To investigate the influence of physical disability severity in CHD on psychological outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study involving 128 children with CHD and 89 healthy controls.
- Children with CHD were categorized based on physical disability.
- Assessment of intelligence (IQ) and behavioral patterns, including introspective examination.
Main Results:
- Children with CHD and significant physical handicaps had lower IQ scores than healthy controls.
- No significant differences in observed behavior patterns were reported by parents.
- Introspective analysis revealed increased feelings of inferiority and anxiety in physically handicapped CHD patients.
Conclusions:
- Physical disability associated with CHD negatively impacts intellectual development.
- While overt behaviors may not differ, children with significant CHD-related physical handicaps experience internal psychological distress.
- Physically fit children with CHD did not show these psychological or intellectual deficits.
Abstract:
One hundred and twenty-eight children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and 89 healthy controls were compared according to their development of personality and intelligence. Presence of physical disability in daily life was the independent variable for dividing children with CHD into two groups: children with physical handicap due to CHD (n = 77) have lower IQ scores than healthy children. Unexpectedly, in the parents' opinion they show no difference in behaviour patterns. On introspective examination, these cardiac patients showed an increased feeling of inferiority and of basic anxiety and a more impetuous behaviour as their way of self-protection, but a reduced need for independence due to parental overprotection was not confirmed. None of these observations could be detected in children with CHD who are physically fit (n = 51).