When Education Pays Less: Psychological Well-Being, Financial Strain, and Social Support Among Deaf Adults

Education is a well-established determinant of health and well-being, yet its benefits may not be equally distributed across populations. This study examines whether educational attainment predicts psychological well-being, financial difficulty, and social support among deaf adults and whether these associations differ from those observed among hearing adults. Using nationally representative data from the U.S. Household Pulse Survey, we analyzed a weighted sample of adults aged 25-54 (N = 36,810), employing multivariate linear regression models that included education, hearing status, their interaction, and demographic covariates. Higher education was generally associated with more favorable outcomes among deaf adults, particularly in psychological well-being and social and emotional support, though effects were modest and less consistent for financial difficulty. Hearing adults reported significantly better outcomes across all domains, and interaction effects indicated that the benefits of education were significantly larger for hearing adults than for deaf adults. These findings suggest that while education remains beneficial for deaf people, its protective effects are limited, likely due to persistent structural and communication barriers. Given the importance of education, improving access alone will not eliminate disparities in well-being without concurrent efforts to address structural and social inequities.