title: Development and validation of the quality-of-life adolescent cleft questionnaire in patients with cleft lip and palate.
abstract: Only a few reports in the literature have described the use of specific instruments for assessing the quality of life in adolescents and young adults with cleft lip and palate (CLP). This condition markedly affects their lifestyle, even after surgical treatment. In the present study, we aimed to develop a quality-of-life assessment tool specifically designed for such patients with CLP. Our multidisciplinary team created a questionnaire focused on the physical, psychological, and social satisfaction of adolescents and young adults with CLP, which was adapted from 3 dimensions of the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey. The questionnaire was administered to a randomized sample of 40 adolescents and young adults (aged 16-24 years) with CLP who had completed treatment protocols and 40 (aged 16-24 years) who were not affected by CLP. The statistical results stated that the questionnaire had good reliability and validity; the Cronbach α coefficient was found to be 0.944. Moreover, factorial analysis confirmed the presence of 3 subscales that were the fundamental components of this questionnaire, which is consistent with the areas theoretically proposed and from which the items were designed and selected. Thus, we validated our novel questionnaire that was administered in the present study and proved its consistency. However, further investigations on a larger population would be useful to confirm these findings.
authors.affiliation: From the *ENT Department, Second University of Naples; and †Maxillofacial Department, Federico II University of Naples, Naples; ‡Department of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Santo Spirito Hospital, Rome; §Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna; and ∥ENT Department, ¶Social Science Department, and #Economics and Statistics Department, Federico II University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Piombino
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ruggiero
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dell'Aversana Orabona
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scopelliti
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Simone
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Carnevale
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brancati
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iengo
authors.forename: Maria Gabriella
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Grassia
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cataldo
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Califano
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001184:Articulation Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D012928:Social Desirability; D012944:Social Support; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult