Study: Hard-of-hearing children more likely to be abused, suffer from emotional problems

By Staff Writer

A new study shows that deaf children are more likely to be neglected and abused than healthy kids. The research also reveals that hard-of-hearing individuals have higher rates of cognitive disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress (PTS) during early adulthood.

The report, which was presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, is one of the first to compare the effects of maltreatment between deaf and hearing children. Researchers examined the results of surveys that were administered to 425 college students, 317 of which are hearing and 108 are deaf. They were asked to describe any maltreatment that they had experienced prior to the age of 16.

A total of 77 percent of deaf and hard-of-hearing students reported that they were the victims of some sort of abuse or neglect, compared with only 49 percent of the hearing participants. Furthermore, the respondents who had more severe cases of hearing loss had an increased rate and severity of mistreatment.

The team found that deaf participants who were victims of abuse had higher rates of negative perceptions about themselves, others and the future, compared with hearing respondents who suffered maltreatment. Regardless of their childhood experiences, hard-of-hearing students had higher rates of depression and PTS than hearing adults.

Adolescents who have low self-esteem may benefit from wilderness therapy, which aims to provide help for troubled teens.