Psychological distress and perceived stress, among mothers of infants with orofacial clefts in a tertiary hospital in Lagos, Nigeria.
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Date
2015-07-01
Authors
Oshodi, Y.O.
Adeyemo, W.L.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
J Clin Sci
Abstract
Background: Arrival of a child with cleft lip or palate is characterized by mixed feelings in
the parents. The aim of the study was to determine the magnitude of psychological distress,
attributional beliefs on causation, perceived stress symptoms in mothers of infants with cleft
lip and palate. Subjects and Methods: Questionnaires about causal beliefs (MCA), the
General health questionnaire-version 12 and Perceived stress Scale (PSS) were administered
to mothers of babies with cleft lip and palate. Results: Psychological distress was noted in
12 (23.1%) of the cases. On the PSS scale, 9 (17.9%) of the mothers had the perception of more
than average stress. A higher proportion of mothers with more than average perceived stress had
combined cleft lip and palate (66.7%). Many mothers (n = 43, 82.7%) had no understanding of
the cause of their childs deformity. There was a significant relationship between the presence
of Psychological distress and the mothers perception of stress (P < 0.005). Thirty-eight (73%)
of mothers who had cleft babies admitted to subjective feelings of misery and depression in
relation to coping with the deformity and this was significantly associated with the experience
of psychological distress (P = 0.016) with 9 (75%) of them having suggestive scores on the
GHQ. Also among these mothers those who reported more perceptions of stress also seemed
to endorse more subjective feelings of depression (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Mothers of babies
with cleft lip and palate can go through difficult emotions that make them perceive their role
as being stressful. This has implications on their overall emotional wellbeing. Early maternal
mental health screening, health education explaining causation are useful strategies that can
be embedded in protocols to help promote both maternal and child mental health in this
special population group.
Description
Keywords
Maternal stress , Psychological distress , Orofacial clefts
Citation
Oshodi YO, Adeyemo WL. Psychological distress and perceived stress, among mothers of infants with orofacial clefts in a tertiary hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. J Clin Sci 2015;12:96-102.