Families with Deaf Members: American Annals of the Deaf, 1996 to 2000

Abstract

The authors provide an overview of 21 articles from several countries focusing on families with deaf members published in the literary issues of the American Annals of the Deaf from 1996 to 2000. Four categories were identified: Interaction and Involvement, Support Services, Stress and Coping, and Decision Making. The articles represent a commendable expansion of focus from the mother-child dyad to increased attention to fathers, siblings, extended family members, and significant nonfamily members such as deaf adults. The heterogeneity of families was a striking factor, even within those studies dealing with relatively homogeneous populations. Services appeared to be most effective within middle-class, educated family units, illustrating the need for more comprehensive services sensitive to the needs of families from less affluent backgrounds and with lower levels of education. In general, services to families with deaf children may be characterized as better than in the past but still in need of significant sensitivity and improvement. The presence of a deaf child in a family with hearing parents may cause stress, but parents have the flexibility to respond in a positive and beneficial way, especially when provided adequate information and support. The idea that hearing parents go through a grieving process involving the identification of deafness in their child seems to be an overstatement.

Parental Distress: The Initial Phase of Hearing Aid and Cochlear Implant Fitting

“…A general improvement in quality of life in both parental groups can perhaps be explained as the result of processes of adjustment to the child's hearing loss. Most parents in fact seem to have or to acquire resources that enable them to cope better with their child's disability (Moores et al, 2001).…”

“…T (SCL-90-R;Derogatis, 1977;Franke, 1995). Moores, Jatho, and Dunn (2001) reviewed 21 articles focusing on families that had a child with hearing loss that appeared between 1996 und 2000 in the American Annals of the Deaf. They ascertained that a child with hearing loss can by all means be a cause of family stress.…”

Family Quality of Life Following Early Identification of Deafness

“…A potentially widespread impact of deafness on family quality of life has been reported in reviews of the literature (Jackson & Turnbull, 2004;Moores, Jatho, & Dunn, 2001). Jackson and Turnbull (2004) synthesized the literature on the effects of deafness across multiple domains or areas of family quality of life, including emotional well-being, family interaction, parenting, physical well-being, and supports for special needs.…”

Resilience Factors Associated With Adaptation in Families With Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children

“…Much attention was given to pathology, with the image of these families being one of sorrow, depression, and emotional turmoil. More recently, however, studies have found that, despite the many challenges faced by families with deaf and hard of hearing children, some families cope remarkably well (Hartshorne, 2002;Moores, Jatho, & Dunn, 2001). The question thus arises as to what the key family processes and qualities are that empower these families to adapt and be resilient.…”