Parental bonding in infant primary cleft repair
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Cross-sectional self-report questionnaire study measuring the effect primary cleft repair on parental bonding in children born with cleft lip and/or palate
IRAS ID
127291
Contact name
James D Kiff
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge
Research summary
Clinical observations regarding primary reconstructive surgery in infants with a cleft suggest that surgery can significantly impact on parental bonding. Qualitative and audit data reviewed by the East of England cleft service (Cleft.NET.East) would appear to support this view. Parent-infant bonding is recognised as a core psychological process that, if absent or disrupted, can impact on the child’s development and parental mental health. Research to date has not examined these core issues in parents with a baby born with a cleft.
Similarly, challenges to or failure to gain an emotional bond to the infant are risk factors in post-natal mental health. Post-partum reaction to and acceptance of a baby’s visual appearance and initial feeding are acknowledged as central to the bonding process. The presence of a cleft may impact on these processes. Subsequent surgical intervention may disrupt successful bonding, support successful acceptance and encourage bonding, or further inhibit parental bonding to their infant.
This study will aim to recruit mothers and fathers referred to the East of England cleft service (Cleft.NET.East) for primary cleft surgery at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge. Families of babies diagnosed ante- or post-natally with cleft lip and/or palate will be eligible to participate. Syndromic co-morbidity will be exclusion criteria due to potential confounding factors.
Self-report questionnaires will be completed at pre-admission clinic, within 72 hours post-surgery and one-month post-operatively. Questionnaires examine parental experience of birth, feeding and initial thoughts around their baby’s appearance, as well as about their own thoughts and behaviour towards their child. In addition, parents are asked to comment on thoughts and emotions about surgery, their anxieties around surgery and screened for depression.
This study will inform the clinical practice of multi-disciplinary working with families around primary reconstructive surgery in identifying risk factors to the parent-infant bond critical to child’s cognitive, social and emotional development.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/EE/0213
Date of REC Opinion
16 Aug 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion