Psychosocial adjustment in children and adolescents with a craniofacial anomaly: diagnosis-specific patterns

Abstract

Objective: To obtain descriptive information about diagnosis-specific patterns of psychosocial adjustment for children and adolescents with craniofacial anomalies.

Design: Chart review of medical records was used to obtain psychosocial checklists. Scores were compared with published norms to evaluate elevated risk of problems, separately for six diagnostic groups.

Setting: Plastic surgery department in urban university medical center.

Participants: As part of routine ongoing care, 408 caregivers completed checklists assessing psychosocial adjustment of children aged 2 to 18 years with diagnosis of cleft lip and palate, cleft lip only, cleft palate only, craniosynostosis, hemifacial microsomia, and hemangioma.

Main outcome measure: Child Behavior Checklist ( Achenbach, 1991 , 1992 ).

Results: The craniosynostosis group showed elevated rates (beyond norms) of social, academic, and attention problems. The cleft lip and palate group showed elevations in social problems and deficits in social, academic, and activities competencies. The other diagnostic groups had few areas of elevated problems and had reduced risk in some areas.

Conclusion: Specific patterns of strengths and weaknesses in psychosocial adjustment may vary by craniofacial anomaly diagnosis. Replication of these findings, with extension to other craniofacial anomaly diagnoses, is warranted.