Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Confronting The Unknown: Mothers’ Reactions, Challenges, And Ways Of Coping With A Child's Diagnosis Of Long Qt Syndrome, Twain Gonzales

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a life-threatening inherited cardiac condition. It is caused by a disturbance in the ion channel genes that control cardiac repolarization, resulting in ventricular arrhythmias that can lead to syncope, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), or sudden cardiac death (SCD). Most deaths occur in children, adolescents, and young adults. Although congenital LQTS occurs in 1/3000 to 1/5000 individuals, to date, little research has been conducted on the psychosocial effects of LQTS. Mothers who are confronted with a new diagnosis of their children’s LQTS are likely to have never heard of the disease prior to diagnosis, and few …