Lived Experience of the Challenges of Raising a Deaf Child from the Perspective of Hearing Fathers: Qualitative Research with a Phenomenological Approach

Document Type : علمی - پژوهشی

Authors

1 Ph.D. student of Psychology and Education of People with Special Needs, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Education of People with Special Needs, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Effective parenting improves children’s physical, emotional, mental and social health. This research was conducted based on the descriptive phenomenology approach and the purpose of its implementation was to investigate the lived experience of the challenges of raising a deaf child from the perspective of hearing fathers. The sample size was seven people and the main criteria for selecting the participants who were living with a spouse and children, having at least one child with severe or profound hearing loss and congenital sensory impairment, and volunteering to participate in the research. A semi-structured interview was used to collect data and the life experiences of the participants were investigated. The Colaizzi method was used to analyze the interviews. The results of the interviews were classified into 5 main categories under the title of acceptance of the child by parents, social conditions, parents’ awareness, support networks and life challenges. In sum, the analysis of the lived experience of hearing parents with a deaf child showed that they are affected by their child’s deafness in different ways. Therefore, these categories can be used to formulate educational and psychological programs for deaf children with hearing parents.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Acar, F. M., Turan, Z. & Uzuner, Y. (2020). Being the Father of a Child Who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Phenomenological Study of Fatherhood Perceptions and Lived Experiences in the Turkish Context. American Annals of the Deaf, 165(1), 72–113.
Arjmandi, F., Mehrabi, S., Fahangfar, B., Toghiani, A. & Kheradmand, A. (2012). The Prevalence of Deafness and Hearing Screening in Newborns in Isfahan, Iran. Journal of Isfahan Medical School, 30(188), 608–618 [in Persian].
Ashori, M., & Erabi, A. (2019). The Effectiveness of Time Perspective Program Training on Resiliency and Alexithymia in Mothers of Deaf Children. Journal of Psychological Studies, 15(1), 81–96 [in Persian].
Ashori, M. (2022). Psychology, Education & Rehabilitation of People with Hearing Impairment. Isfahan University Press [in Persian].
Aquino-Russell, C. E. (2003). Understanding the Lived Experience of Persons Who Have a Different Sense of Hearing. PhD dissertation. Bentley: Curtin University.
Borren, I., Tambs, K., Gustavson, K., Ask, H., Engdahl, B. & Sundet, J. M. (2015). Associations between Parental Hearing Impairment and Children’s Mental Health: Results from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study. Social Science & Medicine, 147(1), 252-260.
Brand, D., Zaidman-Zait, A. & Most, T. (2018). Parent Couples’ Coping Resources and Involvement in their Children’s Intervention Program. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 23(3), 189–199.
Davids, R., Roman, R. & Schenck, C. (2021) The Challenges Experienced by Parents When Parenting a Child with Hearing Loss within a South African Context. Journal of Family Social Work, 24(1), 60–78.
De Raeve, L., Cumpăt, M. C., van Loo, A., Costa, I. M., Matos, M. A., Dias, J. C., Mârțu, C., Cavaleriu, B., Gherguț, A., Maftei, A., Tudorean, O. C., Butnaru, C., Șerban, R., Meriacre, T., & Rădulescu, L. (2023). Quality Standard for Rehabilitation of Young Deaf Children Receiving Cochlear Implants. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 59(7), 1354–1367
Hassanzadeh, S. & Nikkhoo, F. (2020). Parent-Child Attachment in Deaf Toddlers: A Comparative Study. Empowering Exceptional Children, 10(4), 121–130 [in Persian].
Humphries, T., Kushalnagar, P., Mathur, G., Napoli, D. J., Rathmann, C., Smith, S. (2019). Support for Parents of Deaf Children: Common Questions and Informed, Evidence-Based Answers. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 118(1), 134–142.
Lederberg, A. R., Branum-Martin, L., Webb, M., Schick, B., Antia, S., Easterbrooks, S. R. (2019). Modality and Interrelations among Language, Reading, Spoken Phonological Awareness, and Fingerspelling. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 24(4), 408-423.
Mansourian, Y. (2013). Research Method in Information Science and Epistemology. Tehran: Samt Publication [in Persian].
Mavrogianni, T. & Lampropoulou, V. (2018). The Involvement of Fathers with their Deaf Children. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 67(1), 45–57.
Martins, A. T., Faísca, L., Vieira, H. & Gonçalves, G. (2018). Emotional Recognition and Empathy both in Deaf and Blind Adults. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 24(2), 119–127.
Hintermair, M., & Sarimski, K. (2019). Fathers of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Infants and Toddlers: Experiences, Needs, and Challenges. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 24(2), 84–94.
Opoku, M. P., Nketsia, W., Benefo, E. B. & Mprah, W. K. (2020). Understanding the Parental Experiences of Raising Deaf Children in Ghana. Journal of Family Studies, 28(4), 1235–1254.
Ray, D. (2016). A Therapist’s Guide to Child Development: The Extraordinarily Normal Years. London: Routledge.
Rodríguez, M., Tapia-Fuselier Jr, J. L., Ceballos, P. & Agarwal, S. (2021). Disability-Responsive Adaptations: Child–Parent– Relationship Therapy for Children with Disabilities. The Family Journal, 29(4), 410–419.
Rosa, A. O. M. & Angulo, V. L. (2021). Evaluation of Emotional and Psycholinguistic Problems in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students in the Canary Islands. Heliyon, 7(3), 64–73.
Safarpour, F. & Ashori, M. (2020). Investigating the Effect of Incredible Years’ Program Training on Self-Efficacy in Mothers of Deaf Children. Research in Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, 10(1), 21–32 [in Persian].
Siadatian Arani, S. H., Ashori, M., faramarzi, S., Norouzi, G. & Spencer, L. J. (2023). The Effect of Training Based on the Flourishing Psychological Model on Forgiveness in Mothers of Students with Hearing Loss. Journal of Family Research, 19(2), 255–270 [in Persian].
Szarkowski, A., & Brice, P. J. (2020). A Qualitative Study of Differences Among Hearing Parents in Positive Experiences Raising a Deaf Child: An Emergent Model Informed by Positive Psychology. Journal of the American Deafness & Rehabilitation Association (JADARA), 54(1), 31–42.
Szarkowski, A., & Dirks, E. (2021). Fathers of Young Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Children: A Systematic Review. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 26(2), 187–208.
Szarkowski A., & Toe D. (2020). Pragmatics in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children: An Introduction. Pediatrics, 146(3), 310–315.
Vanormelingen, L., De Maeyer, S. Y. & Gillis, S. (2015). Interaction Patterns of Mothers of Childrenwith Different Degrees of Hearing: Normally Hearing Children and Congenitally Hearingimpaired Children with a Cochlearimplant. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 79(4), 520–526.
Zaidman-Zait, A., Most, T., Tarrasch, R. & Haddad, E. (2018). Mothers’ and Fathers’ Involvement in Intervention Programs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children. Disability and Rehabilitation, 40(11), 1301–1309

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics