Parental Perspective Regarding Consanguineous Marriages as the Cause for Speech and Language Disorders in Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Consanguineous connections are portrayed as connections between close relatives. These relationships are generally preferred in the majority of Asian and African nations particularly in the Muslim nations. Nonetheless, it is clear that these sorts of marriages have higher risk of congenital anomalies and disorders in children. Objective: To determine the parental perspective regarding consanguineous marriages as the cause for speech and language disorders in children. Methodology: The cross-sectional study was conducted through different hospital and centers in Lahore, Pakistan (Mayo Hospital, Services hospital, Autism Resource center and The University of Lahore Teaching hospital). Questionnaire will be used and compromised of questions. Data was collected through standardized questionnaire after taking the consent and was distributed among the consanguineous parents who have children with speech and language disorders. Parents were asked to complete the questionnaire. The data was collected using the online questionnaire as well. Results score was recorded for every respondent. Results: The study showed that majority of the people thought that consanguinity cannot lead to speech and language disorders in children. Conclusion: According to my research, although there is higher frequency of speech and language disorders recorded among consanguineous marriages than non-consanguineous marriages but majority of the people had a trend and preference for cousin marriages. Keywords: Consanguinity, Cousin Marriage, parental attitude, speech problems, language disorders, perception, Pakistan