Virtually Delivered Psychosocial Intervention for Prenatally Diagnosed Congenital Heart Disease: Feasibility and Acceptability of HEARTPrep

A randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of psychoeducation on the quality of life of parents with children with congenital heart defects—Quantitative component

“…To increase participation, we implemented our psychoeducational intervention in a flexible schedule to facilitate parents' routines and minimize interference in parental child care. Sood et al (2023) also reinforced this concept of flexibility in their research.…”

“…Despite that, several studies demonstrated a significant statistical difference using online programmes (Xie et al, 2021;Zhang, Lei, et al, 2021;Zhang, Xu, et al, 2021). Inclusively, Sood et al (2023) were not the primary focus of the study HEARTPREP. Still, they participated in about half of the cases, and mothers reported that participating with their partners was helpful as it facilitated communication and helped them to learn (Sood et al, 2023).…”

“…Nevertheless, parents also expressed reluctance to participate in self-care interventions, which could divert time and attention from their child care. Explaining the link between parental mental health and child development is crucial to facilitate parents' adherence to the intervention and, consequently, the outcomes of both Sood et al, 2023).…”

“…Inclusively, Sood et al (2023) were not the primary focus of the study HEARTPREP. Still, they participated in about half of the cases, and mothers reported that participating with their partners was helpful as it facilitated communication and helped them to learn (Sood et al, 2023). Maternal and paternal mental health is essential for the developmental and behavioural outcomes of children with CHD.…”

“…Parental mental health, including cognitions, perceptions and beliefs about the disease, significantly impacts a child's wellbeing, adaptation process and neurodevelopment outcomes. Inclusively, these effects seem to be independent of the medical variables such as diagnosis severity and surgical factors (Simões et al, 2012;Sood et al, 2021;Sood et al, 2023;Williams et al, 2019). Other essential elements reported in the literature are coping strategies, family functioning, couple relationships and psychological adjustment (Santos, n.d.;Demianczyk et al, 2022;Sood et al, 2021).…”