Psychological impact on parents of children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia: a study from Sri Lanka

Introduction: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a group of autosomal recessively inherited disorders with significant morbidity. The long-term implications result in immense psychological stress to the parents. This study assessing the psychological impact on the parents is a first in Sri Lanka and one of the few worldwide. Objective: Document the presence of depressive symptoms in parents of children with CAH. Design: Study participants were 37 parents of children diagnosed with CAH who were attending an endocrinology clinic of the largest children's hospital in Sri Lanka. Centre for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D), a psychometrically sound scale for assessing depressive symptomatology, was used. Results: The study classified 59% of the parents as being affected, and the psychological impact on them did not reduce with time. Conclusion: Parents of children with CAH demonstrated symptoms of depression that did not abate with the passage of time.