Coping strategies of parents with cleft lip and palate children

Objective: To evaluate the coping strategies employed by parents of children born with cleft lip and palate.  Methods: Consenting parents or guardians of children born with cleft lip and/or palate children presenting at Armed Forces Specialist Hospital Kano participated in the study. These caregivers were interviewed using the Profile of Mood State (POMS) and Family Stress Coping (FSC) questionnaires.  Results: One hundred and fifty (150) caregivers participated in the study. Most (63.6%) participants had not received prior information on how to care for a child with a cleft lip or palate. Only 6.7% had a history of a cleft child in their extended family. Majority (89.3%) however only had mild mood affectation while 7.3% had severe mood affectation. Conclusion: Social support from family members plays a major role in helping parents and guardians cope with a cleft child. More emphasis should be given to community education on caring for babies with cleft lip and/or palate in the study region.