Indicators of physical and emotional health in infants during hospitalization in paediatric cardiac intensive care units.

INTRODUCTION

Children with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) are at risk for mental health difficulties. This study examines the relationship between parental satisfaction with Family-Centred Care (FCC), sociodemographic and medical variables, and infant physical and emotional health during hospitalization in Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs).

METHODS

In this two-centre observational study, 305 families from two paediatric cardiac centres participated (52 fathers, 273 mothers, 23 couples). Infants were on average 120 days old (173 male, 132 female). Data were collected within 24 h after discharge from the PCICU. Questionnaires included a primary caregiver assessment, sociodemographic questionnaire, satisfaction with FCC (EMpowerment of PArents in The Intensive Care-30, EMPATHIC-30) questionnaire, and the Physical Health Summary Scale (PHSS) and Emotional Functioning Scale (EFS) of the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PEDSQL) Infant Scales. Medical information was gathered from patient files.

RESULTS

Multilevel modelling revealed that higher EMPATHIC-30 scores on the Information subscale were linked to fewer physical symptoms. Infant sex, age, medical complexity, duration of PCICU stay, siblings, parental professional level, living distance from the centre, and parental role affected physical health scores. Higher scores on the EMPATHIC-30 subscale Care and Cure correlated with better emotional functioning, while higher scores on Professional Attitude were associated with lower emotional functioning. Infant age, prematurity, genetic comorbidity, PCICU duration, siblings, parental professional level, and migration background were associated with emotional functioning.

DISCUSSION: Findings indicate that unique combinations of medical and contextual factors are associated with physical and emotional health in infants, highlighting the need for tailored FCC interventions. This study was exploratory. Intervention studies are necessary to establish causality.