Evaluation of Social Support for Parents of Children with Congenital Heart Disease Referred to Imam Khomeini Clinic at Hamadan City, 2021

Congenital heart disease is one of the most common congenital anomalies in children. The purpose of this study was the evaluation of social support in parents of children with congenital heart disease.

This was a descriptive correlational study. The study population included 200 parents of children with congenital heart disease who referred to Imam Khomeini Clinic in Hamedan in 2020 via available sampling method and using the demographic information questionnaire, social support questionnaire Zimat. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The mean and standard deviation of the total score of social support 41.4 ± 5.61. The highest social support 15.71 ± 2.23 was related to the family dimension and the lowest social support 12.17 ± 2.39 was related to the dimension of friends. The results of this study showed that the average total score of social support in terms of all demographic variables of parents except maternal occupation has a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05).

Social support is tool that improves the quality of life in parents of children with congenital heart disease, so it is recommended to develop a comprehensive care plan for these patients alongside, increasing their parent's social support.