An exploration of the experiences of mothers of children with CHD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An IPA exploration of the experiences of mothers of infants with congenital heart disease who have undergone surgery in the first year of life
IRAS ID
245506
Contact name
Naomi White
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 7 days
Research summary
This study aims to explore the experiences of mothers whose infants had an antenatal diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) and had surgery within their first year of life. CHD is a general term for a range of birth defects of the heart. For moderate to severe cases, infants frequently require high dependency care with surgery soon after birth. Improvements in medical treatment have led to more children living with CHD. As a result, focus has moved towards exploring the quality of life of children with CHD and their parents. Research suggests that parents, especially mothers, of children who have CHD experience increased levels of distress. Such distress is higher if the child requires surgery during their first year of life. It is important to understand the mothers’ experiences during this time. With a better understanding, services may be improved to help manage increased levels of distress. Approximately 10 mothers will be recruited from Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children. Clinicians working with the mother will help to identify which mothers would be suitable to be contacted. They will provide information about the purpose of the study and what would happen if they agreed to take part. The researcher will then approach mothers who are interested and arrange to meet in a private clinic room at the hospital to complete the interview. The interviews will last approximately one hour and focus on a broad range of topics and time-points and will be flexible to each mother’s individual experiences. They will be recorded and qualitatively analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to identify and explore themes that the mothers report. The research is being carried out as part of the researcher’s qualification for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Glasgow.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 5
REC reference
18/WS/0168
Date of REC Opinion
31 Oct 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion