fordyce happiness program and happiness in mothers of children with a cleft lip and palate

introduction: facial deformities and aesthetic and functional anomalies in children may be a cause of real distress in families. problems faced by parents in coping with a child’s anomaly can be upsetting and lead parents to exhibit over-severe behavior. the present study was conducted in order to study the effect of happiness program on the happiness of the mothers of children with a cleft lip and palate.   materials and methods: in this semi-experimental study, 64 mothers of children with a cleft lip and palate enrolled by convenience random sampling were assigned to an intervention or control group based on a simple random sampling. then, a program of happiness training was implemented consisting of 10 sessions of 2 hours each. a demographic questionnaire and the oxford happiness questionnaire were completed prior to and 2 months after the last session of intervention. the data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics, consisting of a paired t-test, independent t-test and chi-square test using spss version 20.   results: the independent t-test indicated a significant difference in mean happiness score after training between the intervention and control groups (p<0.05). moreover, the paired t-test indicated a significant difference in mean happiness score between before and after training in the intervention group, although the difference was not statistically significant for the control group (p>0.05).   conclusion: in light of the efficacy of happiness training on the promotion of happiness in the mothers of children with a cleft lip and palate, this model is recommended as a healthcare intervention to decrease stress in mothers following the birth of an infant with a cleft lip and palate.