English Summary
Psychological Problems of Persons with Hearing Loss or Acquired Deafness
An Assessment of Mental Health of Persons with Hearing Loss or Acquired Deafness by the 30-item GHQ
The purpose of the present study was to explore the need of the psychological rehabilitation for the persons with hearing loss or acquired deafness. Participants were 201 adults (67 males and 134 females) with hearing disabilities. Their average age was 53.8 years old, and the majority of whom were severely impaired. The participants’ degree of mental health was assessed by the Japanese version of the 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Higher GHQ scores indicate lower levels of mental health.
The average GHQ score in this study was 8.77, and rate of people who have the possibility of neurosis was 52.2%. Both of these scores were significantly higher than the scores of normal populations, and indicated that these participants were mentally less healthy. The average GHQ score for females (9.63) was significantly higher than the average score for males (7.04). There was no significant correlation between the degree of hearing disability and GHQ scores. Results indicate that psychological support is necessary for people with hearing disabilities, regardless of the degree of hearing impairment.
The average age of participants’ hearing disability onset was 24.1 years old. And the average length of time since disability onset was 29.8 years. Neither the age of disability onset nor length of time since disability onset was found to correlate with GHQ scores.
In this study, hearing disabilities were often accompanied by symptoms such as tinnitus, aural pressure, distortion of sound, dizziness and verbal disability. 76.6% of participants had tinnitus, 57.2% had distortion of sound and 42.8% had dizziness. The existence of the dizziness or tinnitus significantly increased GHQ scores.
Current Worries Caused by Hearing Disability
The present study investigated participants’ current worries caused by hearing disabilities. Participants were 207 adults with hearing loss or acquired deafness (72 males and 135 females). Their average age was 53.9 years old.
The most common worry for participants was "felt unhappy when you couldn’t take part in the conversations of others”. 61.8% of the participants thought it applied to them well or very well. The second most common worry was “felt unhappy when you couldn’t hear TV or radio programs”. Taking part in conversations or hearing broadcast programs was pleasurable but also a means of obtaining useful information about various topics. It was a serious problem for persons with hearing disabilities that they couldn’t fully join these activities.
Participants with hearing impairments that had begun prior to 6 years of age (elementary school age) were categorized into the early stage deafness group, and those with hearing impairments beginning after 6 years of age were categorized into the acquired deafness group. The early stage deafness group was younger than acquired deafness group (mean age, 45.1 years old), and they worried about love, marriage and child care. Meanwhile, the acquired deafness group felt unhappy about existence of hearing loss itself (although the average length of time since disability onset was quite long; 24.4 years), and they worried about the progress of their hearing disabilities. Results indicate that persons with acquired deafness formed their values while they could still hear well, so they had greater difficulties changing those values after the onset of their hearing impairment.
Worries at the Time of Hearing Disability Onset and Changes of those Worries Over Time
The present study investigated participants’ worries at the time of hearing impairment onset and the changes of those worries over time. Participants were 139 adults with acquired deafness（35 males and 69 females）.Their average age was 57.7 years old, and the average length of time since impairment onset was 23.8 years.
In general, participants were greatly shaken when they were informed that they had a hearing impairment. The most common worry at that time was that they would become unable to take part in the conversations of others. Also, they were unhappy about the existence of hearing loss itself, as well as being anxious about the possible aggravations of their impairment. Moreover, they felt that their worries were not well understood by their family or friends. They needed mental support.
In general, the content of the participants’ worries did not change greatly from impairment onset to the present time. But the seriousness of participants’ worries was mitigated somewhat, so that many of them felt they became more stabilized mentally in the ensuing time. Participants felt that the most effective factor in helping them regain mental stability was that they were able to make friends who had the same disabilities. They also became calmer even if their hearing disabilities were known by others. It was also effective for them to have obtained the understanding of family and friends.
On the other hand, participants who regarded themselves as mentally unstable desired strongly that society come to understand about the issues relating to hearing impairment. Many of participants hoped that the welfare system would be substantial enough so that they could pass their old age in comfort. Therefore, it is suggested that psychological rehabilitation is closely connected with social rehabilitation (social acceptance).
Adults’ Retrospective Reports of Worries during Schooltimes
The present study investigated participants’ worries caused by hearing disabilities in their childhood. Participants were 62 adults with hearing disabilities that had begun prior to elementary school age. There were 25 males and 32 females among the participants, and their average age was 43.8 years old.
80.6% of participants had not attended a hearing-impaired school but instead had been integrated in general classes through their school careers. There were few special considerations for them in general classes, so they often had trouble understanding the lessons, and had not been fully able to participate in extracurricular activities. It was also difficult for them to talk to their classmates. They felt that sometimes even their teachers or their parents were narrow-minded about their disabilities, and they reported a lack of people with whom they could consult about their worries.
In the preschool period, participants reported that they did not feel any differences between themselves and children without hearing impairments and there were few serious troubles during that time. However, in their elementary school period they began to clearly recognize their hearing disabilities. Furthermore, during adolescence participants reported that they worried greatly about learning, extracurricular activities, friendship, love, the aggravations of their hearing impairment, and their future. Many of participants reported being isolated in adolescence.
The participants requested that teachers work to provide lessons that are intelligible for children with hearing disabilities. These participants felt that intelligible lessons and extracurricular activities were the most important elements for hearing impaired children to be able to succeed in school. The participants also recommended that teachers of general classes study about hearing disabilities and that the parents of hearing impaired children learn more about the troubles of their own children in order to help these children succeed academically and socially.