Examination of long-lasting parental concern after false-positive results of neonatal hearing screening.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
To investigate whether false-positive outcomes on neonatal hearing screening cause long-lasting parental concerns.

METHODS:
A general population of parents whose children had participated in the universal neonatal hearing screening (UNHS) programme were examined. Parents filled out a questionnaire 6 months after UNHS. Outcomes were compared for all parents whose child tested positive or inconclusive in at least one of three tests but afterwards proved not to have hearing impairment (cases, n = 154) and a random sample of parents whose child passed the first test (controls, n = 288). Parental anxiety as measured with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), attitude towards the child (child health rating and experienced problems) and sensitivity to hearing problems were measured.

RESULTS:
Median STAI score was equal for cases and controls. Parental attitudes toward the child also did not differ. The difference in the proportion of parents who worried about their child's hearing was statistically significant between cases and controls (p = 0.001) and varied with the number of screens; 4% of controls were worried about the child's hearing, as compared to 10% of cases whose children were tested twice, and 15% of cases whose children were tested three times.

CONCLUSIONS:
False-positive UNHS test results do not cause long-term general parental anxiety. However, 6 months after screening, a considerable proportion of parents continued to experience hearing-specific worries regarding their child.

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Author information

Author/s: van der Ploeg, C P B (CP); Lanting, C I (CI); Kauffman-de Boer, M A (MA); Uilenburg, N N (NN); de Ridder-Sluiter, J G (JG); Verkerk, P H (PH);

Affiliation: TNO Quality of Life, PO Box 2215, 2301 CE Leiden, The Netherlands. Kitty.vanderPloeg@tno.nl

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Archives of disease in childhood (Arch Dis Child), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jun; vol 93 (issue 6) : pp 508-11

Dates: Created 2008/05/22; Completed 2008/06/20;

PMID: 18218661, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Anxiety - psychology
False Positive Reactions
Hearing Disorders - diagnosis; psychology
Hearing Tests - methods; psychology
Humans
Infant

Infant
Infant, Newborn
Neonatal Screening - methods; psychology
Parent-Child Relations
Parents - psychology
Questionnaires

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