The Mental Health of Hearing Impaired Adults

Document Type : Original article

Authors

1 PhD candidate in clinical psychology, Department of Audiology, Muscular-skeletal research center, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

2 PhD in Audiology, Department of Audiology, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

3 PhD candidate in audiology, Department of Audiology, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

4 PhD candidate in clinical psychology, Shahed University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Background and Aim
Auditory system is one of the most important channels of communication and is the basis for speech communication, perception, and psychologic abilities are based on this system. Any impairment of the auditory system could impair these abilities. The present study was carried out to investigat mental profile of adults with hearing loss.
Materials & Methods
In the current cross-sectional study, we surveyed psychologic information of 40 hearing impaired persons (average age: 27.85 years old) with hearing aid using SCL-90-R questionnaire and compared with 40 normal persons (average age: 27.52 years old). Participants were of both genders and had diploma degree.  
Results
We observed significant statistical difference of mental health (psychoticism, phobic anxiety, anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity, somatization, paranoid ideation, hostility, depression, and obsessive-compulsive) between hearing impaired and normal persons (P<0.05).
Conclusion
The present study indicated much more mental health problems in hearing impaired persons compared with that in normal people. These results showed the importance of mental health assessment in the persons with hearing loss in addition to the other routine auditory evaluations.

Keywords

References

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The Scientific Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine
Volume 4, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
November and December 2015
Pages 142-147

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History

  • Receive Date: 20 January 2015
  • Revise Date: 11 May 2015
  • Accept Date: 31 July 2015
  • First Publish Date: 22 December 2015

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