Cardiac arrhythmia syndrome | Family history | Control | ANOVA P values | |
RCAD total anxiety score | ||||
N | 38 | 64 | 63 | |
Mean (SD) | 24.76 (15.24) | 23. 22 (11.22) | 28.76 (15.38) | |
Minimum/maximum (range) | 2/54(52) | 7/53(46) | 3/68(65) | |
CAQ-C total cardiac-focused anxiety | ||||
N | 41 | 78 | 70 | |
Mean (SD) | 1.24 (0.62) *† | 0.93 (0.49) | 0.92 (0.51) | |
Minimum/maximum (range) | 0.39/2.83 (2.44) | 0.22/2.39 (2.14) | 0.06/2.28 (2.22) | 0.003 |
CAQ-C Fear | ||||
N | 41 | 76 | 70 | |
Mean (SD) | 1.42 (0.63) *† | 1.04 (0.51) | 1.07 (0.66) | |
Minimum/maximum (range) | 0/3 (3) | 0.13/2.50 (2.37) | 0.00/2.63 (2.63) | 0.002 |
CAQ-C Avoidance | ||||
N | 41 | 78 | 70 | |
Mean (SD) | 1.12 (1.04)* | 0.74 (0.75) | 0.77 (0.72) | |
Minimum/maximum (range) | 0.00/3.60 (3.6) | 0.00/3.00(3) | 0.00/2.40 (2.4) | 0.04 |
CAQ-C Attention | ||||
N | 40 | 77 | 69 | |
Mean (SD) | 1.03 (0.56) | 0.82 (0.54) | 0.79 (0.54) | |
Minimum/maximum (range) | 0.20/2.20 (2) | 0.00/2.60 (2.60) | 0.00/2.20(2) | 0.07 |
Note: different N values are due to different patterns of missing data and different number of outliers across the RCADS and CAQ-C.
Associations between SCD in the immediate family and levels of anxiety.
*Pairwise post hoc t-tests indicate significant differences between children with an inherited cardiac arrhythmia syndrome and children being screened due to a family history of an inherited cardiac arrhythmia syndrome (p<0.05).
†Pairwise post hoc t-tests indicate significant differences between children with an inherited cardiac arrhythmia syndrome and control children (p<0.05).
CAQ-C, Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire for Children; RCADS, Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale; SCD, sudden cardiac death.