Self-perceptions of romantic appeal in adolescents with a cleft lip and/or palate

Sharratt, Nicholas David; Feragen, Kristin Billaud; Stock, Nicola Marie; Sharratt, Nicholas; Kvalem, Ingela Lundin

Abstract

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd During adolescence, romantic relationships are a key developmental milestone. Coupled with the increasing salience of appearance and social acceptance, adolescents with an appearance-altering condition may feel particularly vulnerable when it comes to romantic relationships. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of romantic experiences among adolescents with a cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P), and to investigate how these experiences could be related to depressive symptoms and global self-worth. The study included 661 Norwegian adolescents with CL/P, who were compared to a large national sample. The prevalence of romantic relationships was lower among adolescents with CL/P compared to the reference group, although the overall impact on depressive symptoms and global self-worth appeared to be low. This study is one of few to explore the impact of a congenital visible condition on experiences of romantic relationships and provides preliminary insight into a significant, yet complex topic.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 27, 2016
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jul 28, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 25, 2018
• Journal: Body Image
• Print ISSN: 1740-1445
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Pages: 143-152
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.06.009
• Keywords: romantic relationships, cleft lip and palate, self-perceptions, depressive symptoms, satisfaction with appearance, intimacy, visible difference
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/918747
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.06.009
• Contract Date: Jul 28, 2016