Stress and Coping Strategies in Malay Parents of Children with Cleft Lip and/or Palate.

Objective: This study was aimed at describing the level of stress and types of coping strategies used among Malay parents of children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: A dental clinic and a general hospital.

Participants: Parents (N = 84) whose children were less than 12 years old with CL/P.

Methods: Socio-demographic data and clinical characteristics of CL/P were collected. Self-administered validated Malay versions of the stress scale from the Depressive, Anxiety and Stress Scale-42 (DASS-42) and COPE Inventory questionnaires were used. Descriptive statistics and Multivariate Analysis of Covariance were used for data analysis.

Results: The prevalence of stress among parents of children with CL/P was 21.4% [95% confidence interval (12.4, 30.4)]. The most common coping strategies were problem-focused (mean 58.15, standard deviation (SD) 7.75), followed by emotion-focused (mean 54.05, SD 4.78). The adjusted mean score for overall coping strategies was significantly different between stressed and non-stressed parents after adjustment for education, number of children, sex of child with CL/P, and cleft type [F (df) = 4.174 (3,74), P = .009]. There was a significant mean difference between stressed and non-stressed parents for avoidant coping strategies [P = .003]. Problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies did not differ after Bonferroni correction.

Conclusions: Around a fifth of parents caring for children with CL/P experienced stress and avoidant coping strategies were more common among stressed parents. Multi-disciplinary team care should provide social support to parents of children with CL/P.