Retrospective Basic Parent-Child Communication Difficulties and Risk of Depression in Deaf Adults.

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Communication difficulties are prevalent in deaf/hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals.
• These difficulties may stem from early life experiences and impact psychological functioning.
• Parental communication is a key factor in the development of DHH individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between retrospective communication difficulties with parents and current depressive symptomatology in DHH adults.
• To estimate the likelihood of depression associated with understanding parents' communication.
• To identify potential risk factors for depression in the DHH population.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 143 DHH late adolescents and adults.
• Participants completed questionnaires on parent communication, language history, and psychological functioning.
• Logistic regression models were used to analyze the data, controlling for demographic and historical variables.

Main Results:

• Difficulties in understanding basic communication with parents significantly increased the odds of depression.
• Individuals who understood little to none of their same-sex parent's communication had at least 8 times higher odds of depression.
• For the different-gender parent, only mother's communication with males was associated with depression.

Conclusions:

• DHH individuals with a history of communication difficulties at home are at increased risk for adult depression.
• The study highlights the importance of early parent-child communication for DHH individuals' mental health.
• Further research is needed to understand the causal mechanisms and develop targeted interventions.