Posttraumatic Growth and its Correlates Among Parents of Children With Cleft Lip and/or Palate

Abstract

This study examined the posttraumatic growth (PTG) about parents of children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) and the correlates of PTG. A cross-sectional study. Parents (N = 388) of children with isolated CL/P (ages 3 months-18 years) who had at least one cleft surgery within an oral and maxillofacial surgery department of a university-affiliated tertiary hospital in a provincial capital in southwest China. Demographic information questionnaire, The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and Social Support Rating Scale were used for data collection. Parents’ mean PTG score was in the moderate range (M = 65.7, SD = 13.73). PTG differed regarding the participants’ sex, ethnicity, and educational background. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that positive coping ( r = 0.43, P < .01), negative coping ( r = 0.13, P < .01), and social support ( r = 0.26, P < .01) were positively correlated with PTG. Multiple regression model showed that 20.6% ( P < .001) of the variance in PTG was explained by higher positive coping (β = 0.35, P < .001), greater social support (β = 0.13, P = .01), and for cleft lip compared to cleft palate (β = −0.14, P ≤ .01), with no variance difference for cleft lip and palate. Parents of children with CL/P had moderate PTG. Potentially modifiable correlates of PTG suggest interventions to enhance parental positive coping and social support may increase PTG. Further studies are needed to confirm the PTG level and its affecting factors of parents of children with CL/P.