Measuring Levels of Stress and Depression in Mothers of Children Using Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants: A Comparative Study.

Hearing impairment is an exceptional circumstance that restricts the child’s ability to communicate verbally. Depression is a common stress-related response for hearing parents of children with hearing loss. Evidence suggests that mothers are more inclined than fathers to experience depression in response to their child’s hearing loss (Mavrolas, 1990; Meadow-Orleans, 1995; Prior, Glazner, Sanson & Debelle, 1988) and mothers with depression have been found to be less effective at nurturing language and psychosocial development in their children. The aim of the study was to compare the levels of stress and depression in mothers of children using hearing aids and children who had cochlear implants. 50 mothers of children with bilateral profound hearing loss were divided into two groups according to the rehabilitation option used. Two self reporting scales Parental Stress Index (PSI) & Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD) duly translated into Telugu were used for the study. The results revealed that mothers in both the groups have high stress levels. On comparison the mothers of children who had cochlear implant obtained significantly higher scores than mothers of children using hearing aid on PSI. The results on CESD revealed high depression levels in both groups with no significant difference in the mean scores between groups. Hence, the present study highlights the need for the rehabilitative professionals to focus on family-based intervention for children with hearing impairment. Parents contemplating the birth of a child share a hope that their child will enjoy access to the full array of life options. As hearing loss is not a visible handicap, hearing parents who give birth to a deaf child are often unaware of the child’s hearing loss. Hearing loss if undetected and untreated can result in the delay of speech, language, and communication skills. The diagnosis of deafness in a child often leads to a crisis in the life of the parents. The psychological reaction to this diagnosis typically includes feelings of grief, helplessness, guilt and anger, given the central role of hearing to human communication, a sense of isolation within the parent-child dynamic is inevitable (Nancy & Mellon, 2009). A parent adjusting to a child’s diagnosis of hearing loss commonly ascends through a series of emotional stages. Stein and Jabaley (1981) described three stages of parental responses to the diagnosis of hearing handicap in their child: (1) an initial expression of anger toward the professionals who diagnosed the deafness in their child; (2) subsequent expressions of anger toward the child as they find it increasingly difficult to deny the existence of the hearing loss; and finally (3) the acceptance of the hearing impaired child by the parents, which marks the transition from sadness and anger to the development of adaptation and coping behaviors. Successful resolution of parent’s anger and grief at diagnosis is important to the child’s future as these feelings may otherwise be manifested as depression. Depression can negatively affect a child’s outcome, as depressed mothers have been found to be less sensitive to their child’s need and hence are less effective at nurturing language and psycho-social development in their children.