Psychosocial Adjustment in Norwegian Adults who Had Undergone Standardised Treatment of Complete Cleft Lip and Palate II. Self-reported problems and concerns with appearance

Abstract

Aspects of social and psychological adjustment were investigated in a sample of 233 Norwegian adults 20–35 years old with repaired complete cleft lip and palate (CLP); in 126 the cleft was on the left, in 45 on the right, and in 62 it was bilateral. All subjects received a standardised regimen of care from the Oslo cleft palate team. The study, based on response to a questionnaire, partly copied a national survey of social and economic life in the Norwegian population. Adults with complete clefts were compared with a large control sample of the same age. The purpose of this paper is to describe the occurrence of common psychological problems among subjects with CLP. Anxiety, depression, and palpitations were reported about twice as often by subjects with CLP compared with controls, and these psychological problems were strongly associated with concerns about appearance, dentition, speech, and desire for further treatment. These findings suggest that there is an impaired level of psychological wellbeing among subgroups of subjects with clefts.

Key Words:

• cleft lip and palate
• adults
• psychological
• wellbeing
• concerns