Psychiatric morbidity and quality of life among mothers of children with orofacial cleft disorders in Enugu: A pilot study

Abstract

Introduction: This work investigates the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and its impact on the quality of life of mothers of children with orofacial cleft. Mothers bear stresses and care burdens of ill family members and it affects their mental health. Little is known about the psychiatric morbidity of such mothers in South-eastern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Participants were assessed using the Brief Screen for Depression (BSD), the EUROHIS-QOL 8-item Index, and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ). The data was analyzed using SPSS version 15. Results: Of the 48 participating mothers, 50% screened positive for psychiatric morbidity with the SRQ, whereas 62.5% screened positive for depression using the BSD. Psychiatric morbidity was found more among mothers with lower levels of education, having more children; older index children and with over-representation of affected female children. The mean quality of life score was 3.34 ± 0.86. Mothers that screened positive for psychiatric morbidity reported a significantly lower quality of life than those without morbidity (2.82 ± 0.90 versus 3.85 ± 0.40). Conclusion: Features of psychosocial distress and depression are common among mothers of cleft children and exert negative effects on their quality of life.