Adolescents' Experiences of Receiving and Living With Sequential Cochlear Implants: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

There is currently a unique opportunity to examine the experiences of young people who receive a second sequential cochlear implant (SCI), after only having had 1 cochlear implant (CI) for most of their lives. Eleven young people who had opted to receive an SCI were interviewed. Interpretative phenomenological analysis resulted in the identification of 6 master themes. Most participants enjoyed improved confidence and social well-being following their SCI and felt that 2 CIs were superior to 1. The majority identified themselves as hearing and deaf, but not culturally Deaf, as they strived to live in the hearing world. However, this was not without challenges and many young people experienced feelings of difference in the hearing world. These findings have clinical implications in terms of the role of clinical psychologists and other mental health professionals in CI clinics and in providing information to families making decisions about CIs. These findings add to the emergent deaf identity development literature in young people with CIs.

Social Maturity and Executive Function Among Deaf Learners

“…Accordingly, a variety of studies has found deaf youth to report greater self-confidence and social well-being after receiving CIs (e.g., Dammeyer, 2010;Hilton, Jones, Harmon, & Cropper, 2013;Jambor & Elliott, 2005;Leigh, Maxwell-McCaw, Bat-Chava, & Christiansen, 2009;Wheeler, Archbold, Gregory & Skipp, 2007). As Archbold (2015) and others have indicated, however, the situation is complicated.…”

“…As Archbold (2015) and others have indicated, however, the situation is complicated. This is especially true among older students and young adults for whom the language demands are greater and the contexts of language and social interaction associated with social maturity are more abstract and complex (Dammeyer, 2010;Hilton et al, 2013). Knutson, Boyd, Reid, Mayne, and Fetrow (1997), Bat-Chava and Deignan (2001), Jambor and Elliott (2005), and Wheeler et al (2007) thus found that although deaf youth reported improved communication with hearing peers after receiving CIs, relatively few children, those with the best speech and hearing, were fully accepted by hearing peers.…”

Exploring the experiences of teenagers with cochlear implants

“…Wheeler et al (2007), Mather et al (2011) and Hilton et al (2013) conducted individual interviews with small numbers of teenagers. The research highlighted that the teenagers generally felt positive towards their cochlear implant as a result of improvements in their listening and communication abilities, although adapting to a cochlear implant, particularly if it is the second device, can be a long and difficult process.…”

“…Interviews with the teenagers revealed that whilst they benefited from increased confidence and an improved social life, they also experienced challenges adapting to the sound of the second device. They reported both hearing and deaf identities but also a feeling of difference, despite being more integrated into the hearing world (Hilton et al, 2013). Rehabilitation following surgery may not be straightforward for teenagers as it requires patience and commitment, the extent of which may not be fully appreciated beforehand (Mather et al, 2011).…”

“…The development of identity in adolescents with cochlear implants has been explored by a number of studies since the benefits of improved hearing and communication and more integration with the hearing world may affect how adolescents make sense of who they are in relation to their deafness (Hilton et al, 2013). The research has highlighted the complexity and fluidity of the process of identity development in teenagers with cochlear implants.…”