Abstract: Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of hypnotic and musical relaxation therapy and psychological consultation for parents of children with cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) and to provide a scientific basis of clinical-psychological treatment options. Methods Sixty-six subjects with children with CLP participated in this study. The subjects were randomly assigned to a test group (n=33) and a control group (n=33). The test group was treated with hypnotic and musical relaxation therapy; the control group were subjected to psychological consultation. Anxiety and depression states were evaluated by using a self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and a self-rating depression scale (SDS) before and after treatment was administered. Results 1) The test group demonstrated a significant decrease in SAS and SDS scores (t=2.855, P<0.01; t=2.777, P<0.01). The control group showed a significant decrease in the SAS score (t=1.831, P<0.05) but failed to show a significant change in the depression score (t=0.909, P>0.05). 2) The test group yielded a higher percentage of remission indicated by the SDS scores than the control group (test group=75.76%; control group=60.61%; P<0.05). The test group also displayed a higher percentage of remission indicated by the SAS scores than the control group (test group=78.79%, test group=69.70%; P<0.05). Conclusion Hypnotic and musical relaxation therapy can more effectively reduce the scores of the anxiety and depression states of the parents of patients with cleft lip and/or palate than psychological consultation.

Key words: cleft lip and/or palate, hypnotic and musical relaxation therapy, psychological intervention, anxiety, depression