Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Anthony Perry

Abstract

Congenital Heart Defects (CHDs) are the most common type of birth defect in the United States. Children diagnosed with CHD require specialized intervention and a myriad of additional supports resulting in higher levels of stress for their parents. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of parental stress (parental distress, parent-child dysfunctional interaction, difficult child, and total parental stress), parental support (spouse/parenting partner relationship), and parental coping (maintaining social support, maintaining family integration, and understanding the healthcare situation) on marriage satisfaction among parents with children who have a CHD. Minuchin’s structural family theory was used to guide this research, as it focuses upon the relationship between stress and levels of emotional functioning within a familial dynamic. Standard multiple regression, with a convenience sample of 206 parents from CHD support/advocacy groups, was used to identify potential variables that predict marriage satisfaction. The results of this study indicated that parent/child dysfunctional interaction was a significant predictor of the marital satisfaction subscale and total marriage satisfaction. The variables of difficult child and maintaining social support were both significant predictors of idealistic distortion. Spouse/parenting partner relationship was a statistically significant predictor of all measures of marriage satisfaction. All other included subscales were not significant predictors for any of the measures of marriage satisfaction. These findings have positive social change implications, as understanding how parental stress, support, and coping predicts marriage satisfaction differently will allow for more appropriately focused interventions, support, and counseling for parents of children with CHDs.

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