Exploring the Effects of Psychosocial Interventions on Mental Status in Pediatric Congenital Heart Defects in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan

Background Congenital heart defects (CHD) are structural heart malformations present at birth, often requiring early surgical interventions during critical developmental stages. Children with CHD are at risk for neurodevelopmental challenges, exacerbated by hospitalization and parental stress. This study evaluates the impact of psychosocial interventions during hospitalization on the mental status of pediatric CHD patients. Methods A quality improvement study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, from 2017 to 2019. The intervention utilized a Mental Status Examination Scale (MSE-S) to measure changes in mental status before and after psychosocial interventions. Purposive sampling included children aged 1 month to 6 years with CHD undergoing hospitalization. Descriptive analysis and paired samples T test were used. Results Significant improvements were observed in MSE-S scores across most CHD classifications. MSE-S scores in Single Ventricle group, increased from 37.46 (SD = 9.32) to 42.92 (SD = 12.6) (p = 0.018), while for Transposition of Great Arteries, scores rose from 35.77 (SD = 7.75) to 40.46 (SD = 8.61) (p < 0.001). The other 2-Ventricle group showed the largest improvement, from 32.43 (SD = 10.2) to 38.70 (SD = 9.21) (p < 0.001). Improvements were consistent in motor skills, speech, mood, and cognition subscales. Conclusion Psychosocial interventions during hospitalization significantly improve mental status of CHD children. These findings underscore the importance of developmental care and parental involvement in improving the mental and emotional well-being of pediatric patients. Further research with larger and diverse samples is warranted to generalize findings and explore long-term benefits.