Abstract
Objective
To compare maternal feeding experiences and help-seeking patterns between Malaysian and Japanese mothers of infants with cleft lip and/or cleft palate (CL/P) during the first postoperative year.
Design
Qualitative cross-sectional comparative study using retrospective semistructured maternal interviews and thematic analysis.
Setting
Malaysian participants were recruited through hospitals and parent support groups; Japanese participants through a specialist dental clinic in the Kansai region.
Participants
Sixty-two mothers (31 per country) of infants with nonsyndromic CL/P who underwent primary lip and palate repair.
Main Outcome Measures
Maternal feeding experiences, help-seeking behaviors, and cultural coping strategies across 6 domains.
Results
Malaysian mothers reported feeding challenges within faith-based acceptance and extended family caregiving. Nongovernmental organization support complemented formal healthcare in Malaysia; no equivalent nationwide peer organization was identified in Japan. Japanese mothers emphasized professional guidance and expressed concerns about facial appearance, social acceptance, and developmental progress. Malaysian mothers navigated fragmented services across public hospitals and private clinics, while Japanese mothers accessed centralized specialist-led care but reported unmet emotional and care continuity needs. Cultural coping mechanisms appeared complementary to rather than contradictory with medical care in both contexts.
Conclusions
Effective support for families must be culturally grounded rather than universally prescribed. Malaysian interventions should build upon faith communities, extended families, and peer organizations while addressing healthcare system fragmentation through standardized feeding protocols. Japanese interventions should reduce maternal isolation through structured peer support and attention to high-risk subgroups. Future longitudinal research incorporating systematic assessment of family structure, socioeconomic factors, and prenatal diagnosis status is essential.