Hussin, Ilyasak
(2017)
Cultural beliefs on causes of cleft lip and/or palate and satisfaction of presurgical counselling : a multicenter study.
Masters thesis, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Abstract
Objective:
To identify the cultural beliefs on causes of cleft lip among parents and
caretakers of cleft patients in a multiracial and multiethnic background society of
Malaysia.
Methodology:
A descriptive cross-sectional multicenter study involving parents/primary
caretakers of cleft patients. They were interviewed with questions from an adapted
proforma to elicit their cultural beliefs on the aetiology of cleft. At the same time their
socioeconomic demographics, barriers encountered in receiving cleft treatment and
level of satisfaction with pre-surgical counselling were also investigated. The study
involved three centers providing cleft care from different regions of Malaysia.
Results:
There were 295 respondents from different ethnic groups and cultural back
rounds;; Malays (58.3%), indigenous Sabah (30.5%), Chinese (7.1%), Indian (2.4%),
and ethnics of indigenous Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak (1.7%). Among the
Malays, they mainly attribute the aetiology of cleft to God’s will, father went fishing and
inheritance. As for the indigenous Sabah respondents, a wide range of beliefs are
attributed towards cleft. This include antenatal trauma experienced by the mother, fruit
picking, and carpentry. As for the Chinese, several acts by a pregnant mother including
cleaning the drains, sewing and using scissors are implicated for the cause of cleft.
However, 98.3% of the parents agreed that their cultural background does not prevent
the treatment of cleft. Those from lower socioeconomic background and lower
education background were more likely to encounter difficulties while receiving cleft
treatment which include financial constraints and transportation. Even so, there is an
overall high level of satisfaction with pre-surgical counselling for cleft patients.Conclusion:
There is a wide range of cultural beliefs among the multiethnic society of Malaysia. It
shows the colorful and diverse beliefs among parents of our cleft patients. Fortunately,
these beliefs do not prevent them from seeking and continuing treatment for their
children. The difficulties while receiving cleft treatment were mainly of financial
constraints and transportation, which were more likely to be encountered by those from
lower income and lower education background. In spite of this, the level of satisfaction
with pre-surgical counselling is high.
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