Children with a cleft lip and palate: an exploratory study of the role of the parent-child interaction.

Introduction: Having a child with an orofacial cleft may be associated with a specific pattern of parenting. In order to investigate the parenting style, the present study assessed parent-child interactions during a problem-solving task performed under pressure.

Material And Methods: Parent-child interactions were video recorded for 15 families with a child with a cleft lip and palate (CLP), which were then compared to 20 healthy families and 20 families with a child suffering from migraines. The children had to solve a puzzle within a specified time with either their mother or father.

Results: In families with a child with CLP, mothers tried to support their children more often and children demonstrated more autonomous behaviour towards both parents than children in healthy and migraine-affected families. Moreover, the children with CLP relied less on their fathers for help and interrupted their fathers less frequently.

Conclusions: Autonomous behaviour among children with CLP which is supported by their parents may represent psychosocial compensatory mechanisms in the family environment.