title: Psychosocial functioning in children with and without orofacial clefts and their parents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether psychosocial functioning in children with orofacial clefts and their parents differs from that in unaffected controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study used a nonrandomized, case-control design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outcomes were evaluated in 93 cases with orofacial clefts and 124 controls, aged 5 to 9 years, who were part of the Massachusetts Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention registry.
  
  
  METHODS
  Measures included the Child Behavior Checklist, the PedsQL 4.0, the Social Competence Scale, and the Parenting Stress Inventory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Group differences were negligible for all measures, and findings changed little with the application of inverse probability weighting to adjust for response bias. Stratified analyses revealed differences according to both sex and age, with worse outcomes observed in male cases and cases aged 7 to 9 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In contrast to previous studies, we found minimal differences in psychosocial functioning among children with orofacial clefts and their parents compared with unaffected controls. This may reflect ascertainment factors, and psychosocial differences may be less apparent in population-based versus clinic-based samples. Alternatively, social-emotional deficits may become apparent in older school-aged children, making the preschool and early elementary school years an optimal time for preventive interventions.
authors.affiliation: Seattle Children's Hospital, Research Institute, M/S: CW8-6, Seattle, WA 98101, USA.  bcollett@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Brent R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Collett
authors.forename: Yona
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Keich Cloonan
authors.forename: Matthew L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Speltz
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anderka
authors.forename: Martha M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Werler
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology