This paper is only available as a PDF. To read, Please Download here.
Summary
Eight males and 12 females (mean age, 12.2 years) with Treacher Collins syndrome were studied longitudinally before and after craniofacial reconstruction. The patients and the parents of the 16 patients who were children were interviewed by a psychosocial team (child psychiatrist, psychologist and social worker) 6 months before and 1, 2, 3 and 4 years after surgery. The patients' facial appearance (Hay's Rating Scale), intellectual ability (Wechsler scales), self-esteem (Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale for Children) and adaptive functioning (DSM III) were measured. The findings indicate that while their intellectual ability was unchanged, their appearance, self-esteem and adaptive functioning improved, peaking 1 year postoperatively and levelling off at the 2- and 4-year postoperative assessments. The improvement in the patients' facial appearance seems to have a direct, positive influence, creating psychosocial and social benefits for them.
References
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM III).3rd edition. American Psychiatric Association, Washington, D.C.1980
- Facial disfigurement and personality.Journal of the American Medical Association. 1939; 112: 301
- An overview of the psychological effects of physical attractiveness.in: Lucker G.W. Ribbens K.A. McNamara Jr., J.A. Psychological Aspects of Facial Form. Monograph No. 11, Craniofacial Growth Series. The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan1980: 1-23
- WISC-R, WISC and Reading Achievement Relationships Among Hearing-Impaired Children Attending Public Schools.Volta Review. 1980; 82: 96
- Cases with symmetrical congenital notches in the outer part of each lid and defective development of the malar bones.Transactions of the Ophthalmological Society of the United Kingdom. 1900; 20: 190
- Un syndrome nouveau: la dysostose mandibulo-faciale.Bulletin der Schweizerischen Akademie der medizinische Wissenschaften. 1944; 1: 60
- Changes in psychometric test results following cosmetic nasal operations.British Journal of Psychiatry. 1973; 122: 89
- Treacher-Collins syndrome: report of a case.ASDC Journal of Dentistry for Children. 1979; 46: 134
- Surface morphology in Treacher Collins syndrome: an anthropometric study.Cleft Palate Journal. 1985; 2: 266
- Psychosocial impact of craniofacial deformities before and after reconstructive surgery.Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. 1982; 27: 579
- The role of psychiatry in a craniofacial team.Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 1978; 61: 564
- Mental assessment of the deaf child.Volta Review. 1971; 73: 80
- After Plastic Surgery: Adaptation and Adjustment.Praeger, New York1979
- The psychological effects of surgical treatment of facial deformity.in: Lucker G.W. Ribbens K.A. McNamara Jr., J.A. Psychological Aspects of Facial Form. Monograph No. 11, Craniofacial Growth Series. The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan1980: 171-199
- Manual for the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (The Way I See Myself).Counsellor Recordings and Tests, Nashville1969
- Recognizable Patterns of Human Malformation: Genetic Embryologic, and Clinical Aspects.3rd edition. W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia1982
- Surgery, activism and aesthetics: a sociological perspective on treating facial disfigurement.in: Lucker G.W. Ribbens K.A. McNamara Jr., J.A. Psychological Aspects of Facial Form. Monograph No. 11, Craniofacial Growth Series. The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan1980: 201-213
- Notice of several cases of malformation of the external ear, together with experiments on the state of hearing in such persons.Monthly Journal of Medical Science. 1846; 7: 420
- Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.The Psychological Corporation, New York1974
Article info
Footnotes
Presented at the Canadian Craniofacial Society Symposium in Toronto, September 20 1986.
Identification
Copyright
© 1987 The Trustees of British Association of Plastic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc.