title: Satisfaction with facial appearance among subjects affected by a cleft.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the satisfaction of patients with clefting and their parents with facial appearance and how this alters with age. The relationship between satisfaction with appearance and psychosocial functioning was also examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were recruited for the study from nine hospital-based clinics. PARENTS, PARTICIPANTS: All subjects has some type of cleft and were 10, 15 or 20 years of age. In all, 111 subjects with clefting and 62 parents were included.
  
  
  METHODS
  Facial appearance was rated on a subjective ordinal scale of 1 to 7; psychosocial adjustment was measured with the Childhood Experience Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Self-satisfaction with appearance among the 10- and 15-year-old subjects correlated with their psychosocial adjustment (p = .027). The 20-year-old subjects were, on average, significantly more satisfied with their appearance than the 10- and 15-year-olds (p = .009 and p = .012, respectively). However, some 20-year-old subjects remained greatly dissatisfied with aspects of their facial appearance. Subjects with visible anomalies were significantly more dissatisfied with their appearance than subjects with invisible anomalies (p = .035). The 15-year-old subjects were identified as being significantly more dissatisfied with appearance than their parents (p = .005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subjects affected by a cleft with visible impairments are more dissatisfied with their facial appearance than are subjects with invisible impairments. Satisfaction with facial appearance among 10- and 15-year-old subjects with a cleft may be associated with their self-reported levels of psychosocial functioning. Measuring self-satisfaction with appearance may help to identify subjects at risk from adjustment problems.
authors.affiliation: University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rumsey
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dowell
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Sandy
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000523:psychology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D012649:Self Concept; D012917:Social Adjustment