Parents' perceptions of genetics services for congenital heart disease: the role of demographic, clinical, and psychological factors in determining service attendance.

PURPOSE

We sought to identify the demographic, clinical, and psychological factors associated with parents' attendance at clinical genetics services for congenital heart disease.

METHODS

A survey assessing access to cardiac genetics services and a range of other variables was sent to the families of 213 children diagnosed with congenital heart disease between the years 2000 and 2009 at the Sydney Children's Hospital, Australia.

RESULTS

Of the 114 respondents, 22% had accessed cardiac genetics services. Variables strongly associated with service attendance included presence of a syndrome associated with congenital heart disease (odds ratio = 17.93; P < 0.001) and antenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease (odds ratio = 4.13; P = 0.02). Most participants (87%) perceived genetic factors as "quite" or "extremely important" in the development of congenital heart disease, and many (73%) believed that receiving information about congenital heart disease and genetics was "quite" or "extremely important"; however, only 36% of participants could recall receiving information of this nature. Forty-two percent of parents reported current concerns about their child's health, and a substantial subset reported levels of depression (26%), anxiety (27%), and stress (32%) warranting clinical attention.

CONCLUSION

There is a strong desire among parents of children with congenital heart disease for greater information about the role of genetic factors; however, most families do not access cardiac genetics services and report limited recall of information gathered from other sources.