Anxiety, depression, and quality of life in mothers of children with cleft lip/palate.

Multidisciplinary care for patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) includes the surgical correction of the facial disfigurement and the rehabilitation of functional deficits to optimize the communicational competence of the affected patient. Although the well-being of the mother of a CLP child is an important protective factor for the child, up to now literature has paid only little attention to this topic. In this study, 50 mothers of CLP children aged 1-10 years were examined using the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to screen for quality of life, anxiety and depression. Surprisingly, the data obtained indicate no group-specific alterations of these items when compared with normal controls. In cases with a deteriorated quality of life, the results of the HADS were pathologic as well. In general, mothers of CLP children aged more than 12 months do not require psychological screening. In individual cases, screening for relevant emotional aspects may be restricted to using the HADS. Copyright 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.