Assessing the unmet psychiatric and psychosocial needs of children and adolescents with cleft lips and/or palates and their mothers attending the cleft clinic at the armed forces specialist hospital, Kano, Northwest Nigeria

Background: Orofacial clefts (OFCs) often impose considerable psychiatric and psychosocial challenges on affected children and their primary caregivers, especially mothers. In resource-limited settings like Nigeria, the extent of these unmet needs remains poorly documented. This study assessed the psychiatric and psychosocial needs of children/adolescents with OFCs and their mothers in Northwest Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 500 mother–child dyads ( n = 1000) recruited consecutively from the cleft clinic of the Armed Forces Specialist Hospital, Kano. Data were obtained using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for children, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for mothers, and a structured questionnaire on psychosocial needs and service access. Analysis employed SPSS version 25, applying descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of unmet needs was notably high. Among children, 378 (75.6%) had abnormal or borderline SDQ scores, reflecting marked psychosocial difficulties. For mothers, 312 (62.4%) met the threshold for clinically significant anxiety (HADS-A ≥ 8) and 285 (57.0%) for depression (HADS-D ≥ 8). Service gaps were profound: 415 (83.0%) mothers reported a lack of access to speech therapy, while 478 (95.6%) reported no psychological support. Financial constraints were the leading barrier for 421 (84.2%) families. Conclusion: Children with OFCs and their mothers in Northwest Nigeria face overwhelming psychiatric and psychosocial burdens, largely unmet by current care systems. Integrating mental health and psychosocial support into cleft care is urgently required in Nigeria and similar low-resource settings.