Social Perception of Microtia

The Social Perception of Microtia and Auricular Reconstruction in Children.

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT07721805

Enrollment

1271

Registered

2026-07-23

Start date

2026-03-04

Completion date

2026-06-22

Last updated

2026-07-23

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Auricular Reconstruction, Microtia, Congenital

Keywords

Social perception, Peer perception, Microtia, Auricular reconstruction

Brief summary

Rationale: Microtia is a congenital craniofacial condition characterized by the underdevelopment of the external ear. Children with microtia become aware of their deformity at a young age, and this awareness intensifies in school, where they often face social comparison. This can impact both their mental well-being and social standing. In this process, not only their self-image but also others' perceptions play important roles. Given the significant time children spend with peers, it is crucial to investigate how children of similar ages perceive microtia and whether this perception changes after auricular reconstruction. Objective: To examine the social perception of children regarding peers with microtia and auricular reconstruction. Study design: The study is of cross-sectional nature. Study population: The study population consists of primary and secondary school children aged 6 to 18 years old. Intervention: All children will be shown one of the following photos: a child with a normal ear, a child with preoperative microtia, or a child with a postoperative reconstructed ear. Subsequently, all children will evaluate the photo they have seen using 7 questions based on a visual analogue scale (VAS) ranging from a score of 0 to 10. Study endpoints: The study includes several endpoints. It will examine children's perception of peers with a normal ear, microtia, or a reconstructed ear in terms of the following social attributes: athleticism, confidence, friendliness, health, intelligence, popularity and willingness to interact. Additionally, it will explore whether there is a difference in the perception of primary school children and secondary school children regarding the above-mentioned social attributes.

Interventions

None listed

Study design

Observational model

COHORT

Time perspective

CROSS_SECTIONAL

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

6 Years to 17 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Attending primary or secondary school

Exclusion criteria

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Difference in social perception scores	The entire assessment can be completed directly after enrollment and takes a maximum of 5 minutes.	The primary outcome was the difference in social perception scores between the three image groups. Responses will be recorded using a visual analogue scale (VAS) ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a more favorable perception of the attribute.

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Differences in social perception scores between primary and secondary school	The entire assessment can be completed directly after enrollment and takes a maximum of 5 minutes.	Secondary analyses examined differences in social perception scores between primary and secondary school students. Responses will be recorded using a visual analogue scale (VAS) ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a more favorable perception of the attribute.

Countries

Netherlands

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMyrthe KS Hol, Prof. dr.

University Medical Center Groningen

Outcome results