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Updated: Jul 16, 2026
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Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Domains of Psychosocial Risk in School-Aged Cochlear Implant Users
Irina Castellanos1,2, Jessica Beer1, David B Pisoni1,2,3
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis.
Summary
Children with cochlear implants (CIs) face higher psychosocial risks in communication and executive functioning. Language and cognitive skills significantly impact these risks, highlighting the need for tailored interventions for CI users.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric audiology
- Developmental psychology
- Clinical linguistics
Background:
- Cochlear implants (CIs) are vital for hearing restoration in children.
- Understanding psychosocial risks in school-aged CI users is crucial for development.
- Individual differences in psychosocial risk require specific investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify psychosocial risk domains unique to school-aged cochlear implant (CI) users.
- Explain individual variations in psychosocial risk among CI users.
- Investigate associations between CI-specific risks and other functioning domains.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-2) via parent reports.
- Compared psychosocial functioning in 59 children with CIs and 52 typically hearing children (ages 7-19).
- Conducted principal components analysis (PCA) on differentiating items to identify CI-specific risk constructs.
Main Results:
- CI users exhibited significantly more psychosocial difficulties than hearing peers on 14 BASC-2 items.
- PCA identified three CI-specific psychosocial risk domains: communication deficit, social popularity, and executive functioning.
- Receptive vocabulary, verbal comprehension, and sentence recognition were linked to reduced psychosocial risks.
Conclusions:
- Children and adolescents with CIs face elevated psychosocial risks in social communication and executive functioning.
- Language abilities broadly influence psychosocial risk domains in CI users.
- Targeted clinical interventions require measures assessing CI-specific psychosocial risk domains.
