Prenatal diagnoses of complex congenital heart disease (cCHD) elicit severe parental psychological distress and are associated with decreased physical and mental health for both parents and their children. Parents who report encountering more uncertainties surrounding illness report greater psychological distress. How fetal cardiology teams discuss and support families regarding uncertainties may mitigate parental psychological distress. This study aims to investigate how to optimally communicate about uncertainties surrounding illness and respond to parental psychological distress during prenatal cCHD diagnosis. The goal of the study is to generate empirical recommendations to develop communication-focused interventions regarding cCHD in a future K23 grant, to improve parental mental health and child well-being.
(Funding: National Palliative Care Research Center / Kornfeld Scholars Program)