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. 2024 May 22;13(11):3033.
doi: 10.3390/jcm13113033.

Looking at the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents with Cleft Lip and/or Palate through Neuroticism and Emotional Regulation Strategies: A Case-Controlled Observational Study

Ana Ruiz-Guillén  1 , María José González-Olmo  2 , Esther Castañeda-López  3 , Martín Romero-Maroto  2 , Cecilia Peñacoba-Puente  4
Affiliations

Looking at the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents with Cleft Lip and/or Palate through Neuroticism and Emotional Regulation Strategies: A Case-Controlled Observational Study

Ana Ruiz-Guillén et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Background: Children and adolescents with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) are at an increased risk of developing emotional disorders. This study aims to explore this question in greater depth by addressing three objectives: (1) the presence of neuroticism as an indicator of emotional symptomatology, (2) the use of adaptive and non-adaptive emotional regulation strategies, and (3) the relationship between these strategies and neuroticism. Methods: A case-control correlational methodology was employed, with 60 children and adolescents with CL/P (mean age = 12.80 years; 33 females) and 60 non-clinical equivalent children and adolescents. Results: The CL/P group has higher scores on neuroticism (t = -7.74; p ≤ 0.001, d Cohen = 1.43) and lower scores in almost all emotional regulation strategies. The presence of CL/P moderated the relationship between neuroticism and self-blame (Beta = -0.46, t = -2.81, p = 0.005), rumination (Beta = -0.49, t = -3.73, p < 0.001), catastrophizing (Beta = -0.61, t = -4.26, p < 0.001), and blaming others (Beta = -0.45, t = -2.84, p = 0.005). This model predicted a significant variance of neuroticism (all p < 0.005), which ranged from 39% to 41%. Conclusions: The CL/P group has worse mental health indicators. Particularly novel results about the CL/P group are the lower scores on regulation strategies (both adaptive and non-adaptive) and the fact that non-adaptive strategies contribute, contrary to their effect in the general population, to a decrease in neuroticism. It supports the need to incorporate mental health indicators in the diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents with CL/P.

Keywords: children and adolescents; cleft lip and palate; emotional regulation; mental health; neuroticism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Differential effects between self-blame and neuroticism depending on CL/P and without CLP group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Differential effects between blaming others and neuroticism depending on CL/P and without CLP group.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Differential effects between rumination and neuroticism depending on CL/P and without CLP group.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Differential effects between catastrophizing and neuroticism depending on CL/P and without CLP group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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