Reactions and social relationships of mothers of cleft lip and palate children in senegal

With the objective of analysing the social reactions and relationships of mothers of cleft lip and palate children, this article highlights the impact of this deformity on the quality of life of these mothers in Senegal. A descriptive design with a qualitative approach was used to achieve this objective. The analysis of the results revealed that the majority of the mothers had positive reactions to their husbands and in-laws. However, there were more negative reactions to those around them, which affected some mothers' relationships and therefore their quality of life. Many mothers were stigmatised and shamed, leading to self-isolation and social restriction. It should be noted that the most common view was that cleft lip and palate was due to divine will, although mothers also attributed the cause to other factors such as evil spirits, genital infections and/or cultural beliefs. On the other hand, the majority of mothers had good relationships with their husbands, in-laws and relatives. However, there is a need to find strategies to combat the stigmatisation and social isolation of mothers and to raise awareness in order to improve the quality of life of these mothers of cleft lip and palate children.