Abstract
Background
Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) is among the most prevalent congenital birth defects. They negatively affect maternal psychological status and may consequently result in higher prevalence of child maltreatment. However, the association of CL/P births with bonding disorders still remains unclear. To address this question, we examined the impact of CL/P birth on mother-to-infant bonding, using the nationwide birth cohort study, Japan Environment and Children's Study.
Methods
This study was conducted as a nationwide birth cohort study of the Japan environment and children’s study (JECS), an ongoing nationwide birth cohort study in Japan. 104,065 of foetuses in fifteen regional centres in JECS were enrolled. Finally, the participants consisted of 79,140 mother-infant pairs, of which 211 mothers with CL/P infants were included in our analyses.
Results
First, no increased risk of bonding disorders was observed among all the mothers with CL/P births (odds ratio [95% CI]; 0.97 [0.63-1.48], p = 0.880), and advanced maternal age or multiple parity would adversely affect the associations between bonding disorders and CL/P births, respectively. Thus, after stratification with a combination of maternal age and parity, a significant association of CL/P birth with bonding disorders was found only among advanced-age multiparae (OR [95% CI] = 2.51 [1.17-5.37], p = 0.018), but it was weakened after additional adjustment for maternal depression.
Conclusion
CL/P birth may increase the risk of bonding disorders among advanced-age multiparae possibly through maternal depression. This finding provides valuable information for the provision of multidisciplinary cleft care.
The Relationship Between Childhood Trauma, Socioeconomic Status, and Maternal Depression Among Pregnant Women in a South African Birth Cohort Study
