Parenting a Child With a Cleft: The Father's Perspective

Objective: To explore the impact of having a child born with a cleft lip and/or palate from the father's perspective. Design: Individual qualitative telephone interviews. Participants: A total of 15 fathers of children born with cleft lip and/or palate were recruited throughout the U.K. via advertisements. Results: Supported by a number of subthemes, four overarching themes were identified: variations in care and support; appraisals of the cleft; perceptions of treatment; and looking back and moving forward. Conclusions: Fathers reported experiences comparable to those previously reported by mothers, in addition to a number of further support and information needs. Participants played a key role in supporting their families through the treatment process, yet fathers are underrepresented in the research literature. Recommendations are made for the adequate inclusion of fathers in future research and in relation to methods of support for fathers through their children's diagnosis and treatment.