Quality of Life for Children with Cleft Lip and Palate and Their Families: The Effect of Adoption from China

Objective To compare parent-proxy and child self-reported quality of life (QoL) for children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) by adoptive status from China. Design Observational multi-site study. Setting Six North American cleft treatment clinics. Participants Children with CLP ages 8.0-10.99 years and their parents (adopted from China, N = 87; not adopted, N = 167). Outcome Measures Pediatric QoL Inventories (PedsQL): Parent, Child, Family Impact Module (FIM); CLEFT-Q. Results Multivariate analyses of covariance, adjusted for age, race, and socioeconomic status main effects (adoptive status, sex, and interactions of adoptive status with sex) and results were not significant by adoptive status, sex, or the interactions of adoptive status with sex for CLEFT-Q, Parent PedsQL FIM outcomes, or Parent/Child PedsQL subscale outcomes ( Ps > .159). Parent-proxy PedsQL School was higher for females regardless of adoptive status (MD = -4.82, CI = -9.53, -.11, P = .045). Child PedsQL Social QoL was higher for children adopted from China (MD = 8.91, CI = 1.18, 16.64, P = .024), where females who were adopted reported higher PedsQL social scores than females who were not adopted (MD = 11.83, CI = 3.09, 20.57, P = .008). Females who were adopted reported higher Cleft-Q Social scores than males who were adopted (MD = -6.95, CI = -18.54, -.54, P = .038). Conclusions Child and Family QoL was comparable between children with CLP, aged 8-10 years, who were and were not adopted. Being adopted may confer some protection for social functioning, particularly for females who are adopted.