Assessment of mental health and quality of life among children with congenital heart disease.

PURPOSE: The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of specific psychiatric disorders, identify predictors associated with these disorders, and assess the quality of life (QoL) among children with congenital heart disease.

METHODS: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in the National Heart Institute outpatient clinics. It included 204 children with structural congenital heart defects (CHD). In addition to assessing QoL with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory scale, the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents was utilized to identify psychiatric disorders in the children studied.

RESULTS: Children with CHD were at increased risk for mood and anxiety disorders. They were also more susceptible to obsessive-compulsive disorder than the comprative healthy group. In children with CHD, the cyanotic group demonstrated a greater decrease in QoL than the acyanotic group.

CONCLUSION: Children with CHD have an increased risk of psychiatric disorders and a lower overall QoL score.