Maternal stressful events and socioeconomic status among orofacial cleft families: A hospital-based study

Abstract

Background and Objective: Studies have suggested that maternal stressful events are associated with an increased risk of orofacial cleft (OFC) in many populations, but none have focused on Myanmar. Socioeconomic status (SES) has been recognized as a strong predictor of pregnant mothers' perceived maternal stress. We sought to assess the SES among OFC families and determine the role of maternal stressful events during pregnancy. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed at the New Look New Life Cleft Lip and Palate Center/Smile Train Myanmar in the Shwe Baho and Pinlon Hospital in Yangon, Myanmar, from December 2016 to December 2017. The study included 298 mothers of children under-five with OFCs. The research tool included a questionnaire used in face-to-face interviews with mothers. SES was measured with Kuppuswamy's scale. Maternal stress questions from the Kaiser Permanente/California Department of Health Study of Pregnancy and Stress were used. Results: Among the 298 families, 126 (42.28%) household heads were farmers, and the most common educational level was middle school (83, 27.85%). Two-thirds of the respondents reported a monthly family income below 180,000 Kyats (120 USD). Most OFC families (129, 43.3%) had upper lower SES. One hundred and forty-one (47%) mothers reported stressful events during pregnancy, and 106 (60%) of these mothers indicated financial-related burden as the leading cause of stress. SES was significantly related to maternal stress (P = 0.01). Conclusion: Most OFC families had low SES, which could lead to financial-related stress for pregnant mothers. Future studies need to extend the results to better understand this relationship.

Keywords

• maternal stress
• myanmar
• orofacial cleft
• socioeconomic status