Parents of children with congenital and acquired heart diseases (CAHD) are exposed to repeated hospitalizations and potentially traumatic medical events. Data on post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety in this population remain limited.

This prospective, monocentric observational study was conducted at Necker–Enfants-Malades Hospital (Paris, France). Parents were invited to complete psychosocial questionnaires as part of a systematic neurocardiac follow-up program. Parents who completed questionnaires between February 2024 and June 2025 were included. Anxiety was assessed using the STAI-Y2 scale. PTSD was defined by a PCL-5 score ≥ 31, and PTSS by the presence of significant symptoms across the four DSM-5 clusters (intrusion [B], avoidance [C], negative alterations in cognition and mood [D], and hyperarousal [E]). Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed.

A total of 422 parents were included; 79% were mothers. Median child age was 4 months at hospital discharge and 2 years at psychosocial assessment. Overall, 322 parents completed the PCL-5 and 367 completed the STAI-Y2. Based on the PCL-5, 15% of parents met criteria for PTSD. Among parents completing the PCL-5, 50.6% reported intrusion symptoms (criterion B), 37.6% avoidance (criterion C), 28.0% negative alterations in cognition and mood (criterion D), and 31.7% hyperarousal symptoms (criterion E). A clinically significant anxious state was identified in 17% of parents overall. The composite outcome of PTSD or anxiety was present in 26% of parents. In multivariable analyses, no clinical or care-related variable was independently associated with PTSD. A family history of CAHD was independently associated with anxiety (adjusted OR 2.50, 95% CI 1.03–6.06) and showed a borderline association with the composite outcome of PTSD or anxiety (adjusted OR 2.40, 95% CI 0.98–5.91).

PTSS, PTSD, and anxiety were frequent among parents of children with CAHD, with high prevalences of intrusion and avoidance symptoms. Psychological outcomes were not associated with objective markers of disease severity or care intensity. A family history of CAHD emerged as the main factor associated with parental anxiety, supporting the need for systematic psychosocial screening irrespective of cardiac disease severity.