Presentation Title

PILOT STUDY: ARE THERE DIFFERENCES IN ADULT PERCEPTIONS IN SPANISH VS. ENGLISH SPEAKING CULTURES TOWARDS THOSE WITH CRANIOFACIAL DIFFERENCES?

Abstract

The stigma surrounding those with a craniofacial difference has been well documented among the cultures in the eastern hemisphere. However, cultures within the western hemisphere such as the United States have not readily addressed the social concerns of people with facial differences from various cultural backgrounds. This pilot study investigated the possibility of differing perceptions and attitudes of people with CFD within two different populations. The first population is typical adult Spanish speakers with differing Spanish-American or Latin American cultural backgrounds. The second population was American English speakers from American cultural background. In the teenage and young adult populations, beauty is perceived to be important and the possibility of bullying and teasing due to a difference in appearance can affect an adolescent’s emotional growth. Two similar surveys were taken and combined into one which rated a picture of an individual with a CFD from 1 to 6 (1 being strongly disagree to 6 being strongly agree) on different favorable and unfavorable traits. The pool of participants recruited came from the University of Vermont undergraduate and graduate student population. Based on the first wave of data, the difference between Spanish and English speakers was not found to be statistically significant or there was not a big enough difference between the two populations for it to have had a larger affect. From here the research looked into the possible differences in gender and parental education level as possible alternative reasoning for differing attitudes. Ultimately, this research opens up the conversation for stigmatizing behaviors towards those with craniofacial differences and possible ways to change them.

Primary Faculty Mentor Name

Dr.Nancy Gauvin

Secondary Mentor Name

Dr.Tiffany Hutchins, Dr.Susan Kasser

Status

Undergraduate

Student College

College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Second Student College

College of Arts and Sciences

Program/Major

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Second Program/Major

Spanish

Primary Research Category

Health Sciences

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PILOT STUDY: ARE THERE DIFFERENCES IN ADULT PERCEPTIONS IN SPANISH VS. ENGLISH SPEAKING CULTURES TOWARDS THOSE WITH CRANIOFACIAL DIFFERENCES?

The stigma surrounding those with a craniofacial difference has been well documented among the cultures in the eastern hemisphere. However, cultures within the western hemisphere such as the United States have not readily addressed the social concerns of people with facial differences from various cultural backgrounds. This pilot study investigated the possibility of differing perceptions and attitudes of people with CFD within two different populations. The first population is typical adult Spanish speakers with differing Spanish-American or Latin American cultural backgrounds. The second population was American English speakers from American cultural background. In the teenage and young adult populations, beauty is perceived to be important and the possibility of bullying and teasing due to a difference in appearance can affect an adolescent’s emotional growth. Two similar surveys were taken and combined into one which rated a picture of an individual with a CFD from 1 to 6 (1 being strongly disagree to 6 being strongly agree) on different favorable and unfavorable traits. The pool of participants recruited came from the University of Vermont undergraduate and graduate student population. Based on the first wave of data, the difference between Spanish and English speakers was not found to be statistically significant or there was not a big enough difference between the two populations for it to have had a larger affect. From here the research looked into the possible differences in gender and parental education level as possible alternative reasoning for differing attitudes. Ultimately, this research opens up the conversation for stigmatizing behaviors towards those with craniofacial differences and possible ways to change them.