title: Relationships between cleft severity and attractiveness of newborns with unrepaired clefts.
abstract: Perceptions of attractiveness of newborns with unrepaired clefts were investigated by using a range of photographs with clefts of differing severity as ordered by a rule of thumb system commonly adopted by surgeons. The investigation involved a combination of factors such as completeness, unilaterality or bilaterality, and palate involvement. Orderings of attractiveness by surgeons, nursing staff, and adult groups unfamiliar with clefts were remarkably consistent. In addition, the responses reflected the rule of thumb system with ranked preferences of the raters being significantly related to the severity of cleft impairment. The scale devised could be used for comparative treatment outcome studies requiring assessments of initial infant attractiveness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, U.K.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Slade
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Jowett
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D004954:Esthetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D010371:Pediatric Nursing; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D011586:Psychology, Clinical; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013518:Surgery, Plastic