Logo image
Fathers of children born with cleft lip and palate: Impact of the timing of diagnosis
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Fathers of children born with cleft lip and palate: Impact of the timing of diagnosis

Senem Zeytinoğlu, Maureen P Davey, Canice Crerand and Kathleen Fisher
Families systems & health, v 34(2), pp 150-158
Jun 2016
PMID: 27100742
url
http://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/19835View

Abstract

Adaptation, Psychological Adult Child, Preschool Cleft Lip - psychology Cleft Palate - psychology Cross-Sectional Studies Fathers - psychology Humans Infant Male Middle Aged New England Qualitative Research Time Factors
Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) affects not just the child born with the condition but also the child's parents. Prior research has been primarily cross-sectional, quantitative, and focused on mothers' emotional, social, and care experiences. Fathers' experiences have been neglected despite the important role fathers have in their child's well-being and development. The purpose of this study was to examine how the timing of a child's diagnosis (prenatal vs. postnatal) affects how fathers cope and adapt. We conducted a descriptive qualitative study with a convenience sample of 17 fathers and used thematic content analysis to code the interviews. The sample included 10 fathers who received a prenatal diagnosis and 7 who received a postnatal diagnosis. The following 4 major themes emerged: (a) first hearing the diagnosis, (b) taking care of a baby with cleft, (c) future concerns, and (d) reflections. Course of treatment, feeding, and social stigma were reported as major sources of stress for all fathers. All fathers should be routinely assessed by CL/P treatment teams and included in support services. Some fathers whose babies were diagnosed at birth experienced self-blame, suggesting the importance of screening this group of fathers for distress at birth. Findings underscore the importance of family centered approaches to care that include both mothers and fathers in treatment planning, interventions, and future research. (PsycINFO Database Record

Metrics

4 Record Views
9 citations in Scopus

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

InCites Highlights

Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:

Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Family Studies
Health Care Sciences & Services
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Logo image