Prevalence and predictors of psychological distress in congenital heart disease patients

Objective To determine psychological distress in congenital heart disease (CHD) patients. Methods Cross‐sectional study among consecutive CHD patients recruited from a single hospital outpatient clinic to determine anxiety and depression according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire. Results One hundred and sixty‐nine CHD patients [29 (19–39) years old, 100 (59%) males] were studied. A total of 25% and 9% of CHD patients showed anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively. Patients with an HADS score ≥ 8 had a significantly worse New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, needed more psychological support, had more mental health history, and took more anxiolytic/antidepressant medication than the CHD patients with an HADS score below 8. A worse NYHA functional class [OR, 1.88 (1.01–3.52)] proved to be a predictor of a borderline/abnormal HADS score. Conclusion Psychological distress has a high prevalence among CHD patients and having an NYHA Class II and III is a significant predictor of an HADS score ≥ 8.