Introduction: Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is the most common among all

congenital defects, with Asia reporting the highest prevalence. The experience of

having a child with CHD can induce stress levels and significantly compromise

the quality of life (QOL) of the parents.

Objective: To determine the quality of life and perceived level of stress among

mothers of children with congenital heart diseases, in Sri Lanka.

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among

randomly selected 75 mothers who sought treatment for a child with CHD at the

cardiology clinic of Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Sri Lanka. The QOL

was measured using the Brief Version of the World Health Organization Quality

of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) scale, while the level of stress was measured using

the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Data were analysed using both descriptive and

inferential statistics via IBM SPSS version 25. Ethical approval was obtained

from the Ethics Review Committee of KIU (KIU/ERC/19/42).

Results: Among the participants, most of the mothers were Sinhalese (n=64,

85%) and Buddhists (n=55, 73%). Nearly half of the respondents (n=39,

52%) had education up to senior secondary level (G.C.E. O/L). Most of the

participants were married (n=66, 88%) and unemployed (n=43, 57%). Only

29% (n=22) reported their QOL was at a good level, and 41% (n=31) were

neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their general health. Also, 67% of them

(n=50) experienced moderate perceived stress. Further, the physical health

domain (p≤0.001), psychological domain (p=0.004), social relationship domain

(p≤0.001) and environment domain (p=0.001) of QOL were significantly

associated with perceived stress levels.

Conclusion: Most mothers of children with CHD exhibited poor QOL and

experienced high levels of perceived stress. Perceived stress demonstrates a

significant association with physical, psychological, social relationships, and

environmental QOL domains. In that context, interventions aimed at enhancing

QOL and mitigating stress levels should be implemented for mothers of children

with CHD.

Keywords
Children , Congenital heart diseases , Mothers , Perceived stress , Quality of life