title: Self-perceptions of romantic appeal in adolescents with a cleft lip and/or palate.
abstract: During adolescence, romantic relationships are a key developmental milestone. Coupled with the increasing salience of appearance and social acceptance, adolescents with an appearance-altering condition may feel particularly vulnerable when it comes to romantic relationships. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of romantic experiences among adolescents with a cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P), and to investigate how these experiences could be related to depressive symptoms and global self-worth. The study included 661 Norwegian adolescents with CL/P, who were compared to a large national sample. The prevalence of romantic relationships was lower among adolescents with CL/P compared to the reference group, although the overall impact on depressive symptoms and global self-worth appeared to be low. This study is one of few to explore the impact of a congenital visible condition on experiences of romantic relationships and provides preliminary insight into a significant, yet complex topic.
authors.affiliation: Statped sørøst, Oslo, Norway; Centre for Rare Disorders, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: krifer@ous-hf.no.
authors.forename: Kristin Billaud
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Feragen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Appearance Research, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. Electronic address: nicola2.stock@uwe.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nicola Marie
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Stock
authors.affiliation: Centre for Appearance Research, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. Electronic address: nick.sharratt@uwe.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nicholas David
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Sharratt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Oslo University, Norway. Electronic address: i.l.kvalem@psykologi.uio.no.
authors.forename: Ingela Lundin
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Kvalem
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000523:psychology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D000067029:Physical Appearance, Body; D012929:Psychological Distance; D012649:Self Concept; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Cleft lip and palate; Depressive symptoms; Intimacy; Romantic relationships; Satisfaction with appearance; Self-perceptions