"They don't care about deaf problems." Children's rights and emotional well-being.
Bronagh Byrne, Catherine B McNamee
PMID 41118276WHAT IT FOUND
Deaf children in Northern Ireland reported more anxiety and depression and lower quality of life than hearing peers.
They said services lacked deaf-aware staff, sign language, time, and safe spaces, forcing them to manage access.
Key findings
01Among deaf survey participants, 20.9% had at least one psychological condition, compared with 12.3% of hearing participants.
02Deaf young people aged 11 to 19 reported lower quality of life, with an average of 3.85 compared with 4.24 for hearing young people on a 1 to 5 scale.
03Deaf young people described emotional support as inaccessible when counsellors were not deaf-aware, when they had to communicate through an interpreter, or when waiting lists left them feeling unheard.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The survey was not designed specifically for deaf children, and the deaf group was small, with only 67 participants reporting deafness or hearing loss. The survey was not made available in British or Irish Sign Language, so it may not capture the experiences of children who need signed language to respond. The survey did not separate deaf from hard of hearing, preferred communication method, or other characteristics that can shape outcomes. The qualitative sample was small and skewed towards older children, and it was collected during pandemic restrictions. A young people’s advisory group was not used because of pandemic and time pressures. The scale used to identify psychological conditions was designed for self-completion by children and young people aged 8 to 18, but the survey included children aged 2 to 3. The survey was conducted in English and may under-represent children living in refugee centres or residential homes.
Declared interests
The research was funded by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland, and the study was commissioned by that Trust. No other funding or conflict of interest information is given.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that deafness itself causes poorer emotional well-being. The paper links the differences to communication barriers, lack of inclusive time and space, inaccessible services, and the extra burden deaf children carry to make services work.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →