Parents of children born with clubfoot share many of the negative feelings and perceptions experienced by parents of children with more disabling conditions, according to new research carried out by the University of Aberdeen and Bournemouth University.
The Royal Children’s Hospital in Aberdeen also collaborated on the study – published in the International Journal of Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing.
Around one or two babies in 1,000 are born in the UK with the condition – also known as congenital talipes equinovarus – thought to be caused by genetic and environmental factors.Shock, anger, self–blame, guilt and depression are among emotions felt by some families when diagnosis is first made of the condition which results in one or both feet being turned down and pointing inwards.
Professor Edwin van Teijlingen, Professor of Reproductive Health Medicine at Bournemouth University, said: “Some parents were worried about their child’s developing body image, about them having to deal with looking and feeling different, and whether they might be bullied at school. However some parents did not see much impact on their child’s general development. The child had accepted it and, usually, before the age of four, did not see themselves as being different.”
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