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Psychosocial outcome of craniofacial surgery in children
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia.
Insights
Children with craniofacial anomalies showed modest psychological improvements after surgery, but continued to face social challenges. Further research is needed to address social functioning deficits in these patients.
Area of Science:
- Plastic Surgery
- Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Congenital craniofacial anomalies can impact psychosocial well-being.
- Pre-surgical evaluations are crucial for understanding patient needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess psychosocial adjustment in children with craniofacial anomalies post-surgery.
- To compare psychosocial outcomes between surgically treated children and a healthy control group.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal psychosocial evaluation of 34 children (7-15 years) with craniofacial anomalies before and after surgery.
- Comparison with a matched group of healthy children.
- Utilized measures of trait anxiety, behavior, extraversion, and social functioning.
Main Results:
- Pre-surgery, craniofacial group had mild psychosocial limitations.
- Post-surgery, significant reduction in trait anxiety and behavioral issues observed.
- Social functioning remained a challenge, with craniofacial subjects reporting more negative social encounters.
Conclusions:
- Surgery offers modest psychological benefits for children with craniofacial anomalies.
- Persistent deficits in social functioning require further attention and intervention.
- Age-related social functioning trends differed between groups.
Abstract:
Thirty-four children between the ages of 7 and 15 years with congenital craniofacial anomalies underwent psychosocial evaluation before and 12 to 18 months after surgery. Also evaluated were healthy children matched to the craniofacial subjects by sex, age, intelligence, and economic background. Preoperative assessment revealed the craniofacial group to have multiple but not severe psychosocial limitations. At follow-up, only a measure of social functioning still differentiated the groups, with the craniofacial subjects experiencing more negative social encounters. Comparison of initial and follow-up scores for the craniofacial group revealed a significant reduction in trait anxiety and trends toward reduction in parent-reported inhibited and hyperactive behavior. Scores on measures of extraversion and social functioning tended to be positively correlated with age for the comparison subjects only. Results suggest a modest improvement in psychological adjustment following surgery with a residual, possibly increasing, deficit in social functioning.