Educational program for the families of children with facial disfigurement

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1.ObjectiveThis study examined the psychosocial adaptation of the families of children with facial disfigurement.2.MethodThe subjects were 71 mothers of children with cleft lip and/or palate. Their mean age was 32.0 (SD=4.6). The subject was first interviewed in a semi-structured way for approximately 30 minutes to obtain information about family support, social support network, maternal adaptation and social functioning. Two instruments were then administered in a fixed order to the mother.3.Results(1)About 10 percent of the mothers divorced.(2)Fifty percent experienced heavy depression for a period of several months from birth.(3)Fifteen percent were diagnosed as a depressive disorder by the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck et al.,1979) even after a lapse of several years from birth.(4)Maternal adaptation could be significantly predicted by several factors such as family support, social support network and uncertainty about their economic future.4.ConclusionsThe divorce rate in our subjects was very high. It suggests that the families of children with cleft lip and/pr palate have some sort of psychosocial conflict. At the same time, about half the mothers were at risk for psychological adjustment problems. These results show the necessity and importance of early interventions for the families of children with facial disfigurement.