Delineating resilience in children with cleft lip and palate (CL/P): a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Resilience refers to an individual’s ability to thrive despite adversity. Children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) face numerous challenges during school age due to speech and aesthetic differences compared to typically developing (TD) children. This study aims to compare the resilience levels between Malaysian children with CL/P and TD children, utilizing the Malay-translated Resilience Scale-10 (RS-10)© ([Wagnild, Resilience scale for children (RS10) user’s guide 2015, n.d]). Results A total of 121 Malaysian children comprising 52 CL/P and 69 TD children between the ages of 7 to 12 years participated in this study. Among the children with CL/P, 49 exhibited intelligible speech with mild to moderate differences, while three had severely reduced intelligibility. Participants completed the RS-10 online with parental assistance. The total mean scores of resilience for TD and CL/P were 30.80 ± 4.28 and 33.15 ± 6.01 respectively. The t -test results showed no significant differences in resilience scores between groups and across genders. The analysis of variance showed no significant difference between age groups. Regression analysis revealed that age and group were marginally significant predictors of resilience scores. Specifically, each additional year of age was associated with a 0.47-point reduction in RS-10 scores highlighting coping difficulties associated with CL/P in older children. Conclusions The findings highlight the resilience of Malaysian children with CL/P, showing they can achieve resilience levels similar to their TD peers, particularly when speech outcomes are favourable.