Cleft lip and palate: evaluation of the psychological impact using the Rosenberg self-esteem scale

Introduction: Cleft lip and palate is the most frequent malformation of the head region and affects more than 10 million people worldwide. This study aims at evaluating the selfesteem in patients with cleft lip and palate and comparing that with the self-esteem of non-affected individuals during followup at the Department of Craniomaxillofacial Plastic Surgery of the Hospital de Clínicas of Porto Alegre. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, contemporary study with 160 participants, comprising 80 patients with cleft lip and palate who have already undergone surgical procedures for correcting the condition and 80 non-affected students and employees of the publicschool system as a control group. We used a questionnaire to characterize the group and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale for data collection. Results: There was a significant difference between groups in terms of marital status, schooling, and school retention. Patients with a cleft lip and palate had lower levels of self-esteem than non-affected individuals. Among them, the individuals with bilateral clefts or complete clefts; female gender; economic strata of D/E; low level of schooling; families reconstituted during childhood; and with unsatisfactory results concerning communication, dentition, and lip scar also showed lower levels of self-esteem. Conclusion: There was a significant relationship between cleft lip and palate and low self-esteem. ■ ABSTRACT