Parent-Reported Stress and Child Behavior for 4-Year-Old Children with Unilateral or Mild Bilateral Hearing Loss
Elizabeth M Fitzpatrick1,2, Wu Jiawen3, Olds Janet2,4
1Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
Parents of children with unilateral or mild bilateral hearing loss reported similar parenting stress and child behavior issues compared to typical hearing children. Functional hearing in noise, however, correlated with parenting stress and behavior.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric audiology
- Developmental psychology
- Parenting studies
Background:
- Early identification of unilateral or mild bilateral hearing loss in children is increasing.
- Limited understanding exists regarding the impact of such hearing loss on child development and parental stress.
- This research addresses the gap in knowledge concerning developmental trajectories and parenting challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare child behavior and parenting stress in families with children having unilateral/mild bilateral hearing loss versus those with typical hearing.
- To investigate the relationship between auditory/language outcomes and child behavior/parenting stress.
- To provide insights into the specific challenges faced by parents of young children with hearing impairments.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study design comparing two groups: 54 children with unilateral/mild bilateral hearing loss and 42 children with typical hearing.
- Children with hearing loss were identified at a median age of 4.5 months.
- Child behavior and parenting stress were assessed at 48 months of age, alongside auditory and language evaluations.
Main Results:
- Parents of children with unilateral/mild bilateral hearing loss did not report significantly higher levels of parenting stress or child behavior problems compared to the control group.
- A significant correlation was found between functional hearing in noise and both parenting stress and child behavior.
- Auditory and language results showed a relationship with child behavior and parenting stress.
Conclusions:
- Unilateral or mild bilateral hearing loss in early childhood does not inherently lead to increased parenting stress or child behavior problems.
- Functional hearing in challenging acoustic environments (hearing in noise) is a critical factor influencing both child behavior and parental stress.
- Interventions should consider improving functional hearing in noise to support child development and reduce parenting stress.
Abstract:
Children with unilateral or mild bilateral hearing loss are increasingly identified in early childhood. Relatively little is known about how hearing loss affects their developmental trajectory or whether it contributes to parenting stress for these parents. This study aimed to examine child behavior and parenting stress in parents of children with unilateral/mild bilateral hearing loss compared to children with typical hearing. This prospective study involved 54 children with unilateral/mild bilateral hearing loss identified at a median age of 4.5 months (IQR 2.6, 6.5) and 42 children with typical hearing. At age 48 months, child behavior and parenting stress were measured. Auditory and language results were also analyzed in relation to child behavior and parenting stress. Parents of these children did not report significantly more parenting stress or behavior problems than parents of children with typical hearing. However, both parenting stress and child behavior were related to functional hearing in noise.
