Having an increased number of surgeries between ages 8 and 10 years is associated with increased anxiety and depressive symptoms in teenagers with cleft lip and palate, according to a study published recently in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Hi’ilani M.K. Potemra, from the University of California in Los Angeles, and colleagues administered the anger, anxiety, and depressive symptoms instruments from the Pediatric Patient-Report Outcomes Measurement Information System to 55 patients with cleft lip and palate (aged 14 to 17 years) and 14 age-matched unaffected controls. The total number of operations and operations stratified by age groups were examined in relation to instrument scores.
More Cleft Lip Surgeries at Age 8 to 10 Years Tied to Later Anxiety
