Perceived social support of mothers of children with clefts

To identify factors that may predict perceived social support in mothers of children with clefts.

A comparison was conducted from a sample of mothers of children with oral clefts identified from a single institution (multidisciplinary craniofacial clinic). The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List and Beck Depression Inventory were completed by all participants.

Mothers of children with visible clefts were more likely to report higher perceived social support than mothers of children with clefts that were not visible (p =.005). Mothers of female children reported higher levels of perceived social support than mothers of male children (p =.02). Mothers who had completed more years of education reported significantly higher levels of perceived social support than mothers who had completed fewer years of school (p =.03). Mothers with more children were more likely to report lower levels of perceived social support (p =.009). Maternal depression was highly correlated with perceived social support (p <.0001).

Cleft visibility, family size, child sex, and maternal education level were important factors in predicting perceived social support in mothers of children with clefts. Child age, syndrome status, and cleft family history were not significant predictors.