Attitudes of mothers and fathers toward their child with a cleft lip and palate

This study sought to determine whether there was a difference in attitudes between mothers and fathers in relation to having a child with a cleft lip and palate. Specific attitudes in regard to the initial reaction, the perceived initial reaction of their spouse, the contentment with their child, the concern over the physical attractiveness of the child, and the perception of their child's physical attractiveness are examined. These variables were measured by three questionnaires and a set of cropped photographs.;A total of thirty-two families participated. Pearson product moment correlations and t-tests were used to determine whether there were differences in specific attitudes of a mother and a father towards their child born with a cleft lip and palate.;Only one statistical significant difference was found in terms of the differences in attitudes of mothers and fathers; however, it was the father rather than the mother who expressed the more negative initial reaction to the birth of their child with a cleft Up and palate. Mothers reported a mean score of 45.1 (sd = 10.6) while fathers; mean score was 50.7 (sd = 8.0). The difference between the two groups (t = 3.37, df = 31, p < .002) was significant. Attitudes on all other subtests were similar. Demographic variables revealed some interesting findings in terms of age of parent, income and education. Correlational tables between all subtests and other variables also revealed statistically significant findings.;Findings from this study have implications that can be used in working with both the mother and father. Greater insight into both parents' attitudes and concerns can help facilitate the counseling process which assists a family in their adjustment to having a child born with a cleft lip and palate.;The questionnaire When My Child Was Born was used to measure the degree of negative reaction to the birth of the child as well as the perceived initial reaction of the spouse to the birth of their child with a cleft Up and palate. The Index of Parental Attitudes, or the I.P.A., was used to measure the degree of contentment a mother or father has in his/her relationship with their child. The degree of concern over the child's physical attractiveness was measured by a questionnaire developed by the interviewer entitled Concern Over Physical Attractiveness. The rating of parents' perception of their child's physical attractiveness was measured using a set of cropped photographs.