Evaluation of Parental Anxiety and Depression Related to Clubfoot Deformity: Parental Concern about Their Child’s Deformity

Abstract

Objective: Having a child diagnosed with clubfoot and the anxiety about not being able to walk may have different effects on the mother and father. The present study aims to determine the anxiety and depression levels in parents of children with clubfoot before and after the child started walking and detect differences between mothers and fathers in terms of anxiety and depression. Material and Methods: Parents of the children were administered the sociodemographic form, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) before the first consultation (pre-consultation) and after the child started walking (post-consultation). Results: Mothers’ BAI and BDI scores (13.05±10.14, 11.26±8.75, respectively) were significantly higher than fathers (7.93±8.02, 7.32±6.45) in pre-consultation (p<0.010, p=0.010). At post-consultation, there was no significant difference between mothers and fathers for both BAI and BDI. Mothers’ BAI and BDI scores were significantly lower post-consultation (6.73±6.18, 6.73±4.39 respectively) than pre-consultation (13.05±10.14, 11.26±8.75) (p<0.010, p=0.010). Fathers’ anxiety and depression levels did not change post-consultation. There was a positive strong correlation between prenatal timing of diagnosis and post-consultation BAI scores of mothers (0.628, p=0.029). Conclusion: Mothers may be more prone to anxiety and depression than fathers to clubfoot diagnosis. After the child starts walking, levels of anxiety and depression decrease in mothers of children with clubfoot. The anxiety of the mother increases with the delay in learning that there is a suspicion of clubfoot in prenatal terms.