Psychological profile of Chinese with cleft lip and palate deformities.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the psychological well-being of patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP).


METHODS
Ninety-four Chinese CLP subjects between 10 and 40 years of age were recruited from the Discipline of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, between June and December 2003. They were divided into two groups for comparison: adolescents (10-16 years old) and adults (17- 40 years old). A control group of 116 healthy non-CLP patients was also recruited during the same period.


METHODS
All CLP and non-CLP patients were asked to complete a set of four questionnaires to assess their psychological status. The questionnaires included the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory, and the Chinese Miller Behavioral Style Scale.


RESULTS
Chinese CLP patients exhibited levels of subjective well-being and social anxiety that were similar to the published levels of a group of British CLP patients. They also had significantly lower general and social self-esteem but higher parental self-esteem than the non-CLP control group.


CONCLUSIONS
CLP patients were generally satisfied with life and did not exhibit more social anxiety than the non-CLP control group. They also had a good relationship with their parents. Gender and educational level had no influence on their psychological profile. However, these CLP patients had lower self-esteem than non-CLP patients.
Cheung
Lim K
LK
The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. lkcheung@hku.hk
Loh
John Ser Pheng
JS
Ho
Samuel M Y
SM
D000124:Achievement; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000523:psychology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires