The impact of congenital heart disease on the psychological well-being and quality of life of Hong Kong Chinese adolescents: A cross-sectional study

Aims and objectives: To examine the psychological well-being and quality of life of Hong Kong Chinese adolescents with congenital heart disease. Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) in adolescents is associated with having negative psychological impact and impairment to quality of life. A literature review revealed that most studies on the impact of CHD on the psychological well-being and quality of life of adolescents to date have been conducted in Western populations. Method: A cross-sectional design was employed. Adolescents aged 12–18 with CHD attending an outpatient clinic in an acute public hospital were invited to participate. Another similar age group of healthy Chinese adolescents was also invited to participate for comparison purposes. Subjects were asked to respond to the Chinese version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 Generic Core Scales, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for Children, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a demographic sheet. A STROBE checklist was completed. Results: Adolescents with CHD exhibited more depressive symptoms, lower self-esteem and poorer quality of life than their healthy counterparts. Disease severity might affect the self-esteem, depressive symptoms and quality of life of adolescents with CHD. Disease severity, depressive symptoms, self-esteem level and types of treatment received were associated with the quality of life of adolescents with CHD. Conclusions: Hong Kong Chinese adolescents suffering from CHD experience negative impacts on their psychological well-being and quality of life. In this group, disease severity may affect psychological well-being and quality of life. Specifically, quality of life of adolescents with CHD was associated with disease severity, depressive symptoms, self-esteem level and the type of treatment received. Relevance to clinical practice: The findings contribute to clinical care guidelines and serve as a reference in developing nursing intervention to adolescents with CHD so as to uphold quality of care. Clinical trial registration: NCT03255850 (Clinical trial.gov).