2019 Volume 44 Issue 3 Pages 175-181
The purpose of this study was to survey the psychological state of grandmothers who have grandchildren with a cleft lip and/or palate between notification and post-cheiloplasty.
We conducted semi-structured interviews with the grandmothers after cheiloplasty at hospital A. The participants were 15 grandmothers （either paternal or maternal）. Qualitative data were analyzed using the qualitative descriptive method.
We classified the psychological states related to their grandchildren into the following six categories: 1） shock upon being notified of the grandchild’s disease, 2） suffering regarding the grandchild’s disease, 3） worries about the future of the grandchild, 4） relief by recognizing the grandchild’s disease, 5） readiness and determination for positive acceptance, and 6） happiness brought by the grandchild.
Some grandmothers had been shocked by visible differences, incorrect understanding of and prejudice toward the child’s disease, and had accepted the situation with positive thinking that “it cannot be helped”. Other grandmothers felt attachment and happiness, giving meaning to the fact that the grandchild had been born with a disease. The feeling regarding playing a role as a grandmother was raised, and the grandmothers felt that they could support their daughter and grandchild.
Medical workers need to understand these characteristics of grandmothers and their roles and to recognize the grandmothers as recipients of medical care.
