Association Between Social Support and Psychological Distress of Parents Having Children with Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart diseases are prevailing around the globe in terms of their morbidity and mortality, which need special attention to address them appropriately. Congenital Heart Diseases not only affect the affected children but it drastically traumatizes their parents as well. Objectives: To determine the association between social support and psychological distress among parents having children with congenital heart disease in Peshawar. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional conducted at the Peshawar Institute of Cardiology over span of six-month period using convenience sampling; data were collected at one time without changing factors. Families with children were the sole focus. SPSS version 22.0 was utilised for data analysis after the DASS-13 and MSPSS questionnaires were used to collect the data. Results: The survey identified significant (p<0.05) predictors of psychological distress. Joint families had lower anxiety (14.9 ± 6.6 vs 11.0 ± 7.2, p<0.001) and depression scores (15.8 ± 8.3 vs 13.1 ± 7.4, p=0.002 A strong, statistically significant association was found between higher levels of social support and lower severity of depression (Fisher's Exact Test, p<0.001). Across all three psychological distress indicators. No significant gender differences in distress levels were observed. Parents in nuclear families reported significantly higher anxiety (14.9 ± 6.6) and depression (15.8 ± 8.3) compared to those in joint families (anxiety: 11.0 ± 7.2, p<0.001; depression: 13.1 ± 7.4, p=0.002). Conclusions: This study underlines how crucial social support is for mental health, in addition to age, education, and familial relationships.