Supporting parenting during infant hospitalisation for CHD

Colette Gramszlo1, Allison Karpyn2, Jennifer Christofferson3

  • 1Division of Behavioral Health, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE, USA.

Insights

Parents of infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) prioritize bonding, their parental role, and coping with uncertainty during hospitalization. Care teams should support these priorities for better family adjustment.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Family Medicine

Background:

  • Infant hospitalization for congenital heart disease (CHD) presents unique challenges to parental roles and bonding.
  • Understanding parental priorities is crucial for developing effective support strategies during this stressful period.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the parenting priorities of mothers and fathers of infants hospitalized with CHD.
  • To generate recommendations for supporting parenting during infant hospitalization.

Main Methods:

  • Online crowdsourcing and community creation via a private social networking site.
  • Qualitative analysis of responses from 79 parents of young children with CHD.

Main Results:

  • Three key themes emerged: establishing a bond with the infant, asserting the parental role, and coping with fear and uncertainty.
  • Parents highly value provider support in maintaining a sense of normalcy during hospitalization.

Conclusions:

  • Care teams can enhance parenting support by affirming parents' roles as primary caretakers and decision-makers.
  • Addressing the emotional impact of infant hospitalization on the family is essential for holistic care.
Abstract

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