PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING OF CHILDREN WITH CRANIOFACIAL ANOMALIES ANDTHEIR MOTHERS - FOLLOW-UP FROM LATE INFANCY TO SCHOOL ENTRY

Twenty-three mothers and their 5- to 7-year-old children with craniofa cial anomalies (CFA) who were assessed during the child's infancy were followed. Three types of CFA were included: cleft lip and palate (CLP ), isolated cleft palate (CP), and sagittal synostosis. Measures of ch ild status focused on behavior-problem frequency and self-concept. Mot hers completed self-report measures of emotional well-being, marital s atisfaction, and social support. Results indicated that (1) a sizable minority (18%) of the children with CFA had clinically significant beh avior-problem scores shown in concordant reports by parent and teacher of behavior problems; (2) individual differences in child functioning within the CFA group were predicted by observational measures of earl ier mother-infant interaction during play and teaching situations; (3) mothers of children with CLP reported less favorable social support t han mothers of children with CP or sagittal synostosis.