Through deaf eyes: factors influencing suicidal behavior among deaf adults.
Ramunas McRae, Christina Zorbas, Amie O'Shea and 2 others
PMID 41925734WHAT IT FOUND
Deaf adults who reported suicidal behavior described communication barriers, audism, bullying, burnout, strained relationships, and poor access to deaf-aware mental health care as influencing it.
These are self-reported associations, not proof of cause or treatment effect.
Key findings
01Among the 172 survey participants who reported suicidal behavior, 55.2% reported a suicide plan and 43.6% reported a suicide attempt.
02The most commonly reported factors perceived to influence suicidal behavior were communication issues and audism (82.6%, n = 147), relationship issues (78.5%, n = 135), abuse (58.7%), self-perception issues (47%), and education/work issues (43%).
03Interviews with 10 deaf sign language users produced themes of identity struggles, bullying, burnout, lack of deaf-aware mental health services, and strained relationships.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional and self-reported, so it cannot show cause. The paper reports self-reported factors, not a tested intervention. The interview sample was only 10 people, and the survey analytical sample was 172 people who reported suicidal behavior, so the findings may not represent all deaf adults. Participants were recruited through deaf community networks, and people willing to discuss mental health may differ from those who declined. The survey relied on retrospective reports of childhood experiences, which may be unreliable. The paper gives two percentages for communication factors (85.5% in Table 1 and 82.6% in the results text). The gender-diverse survey subgroup was small (n = 10), so no meaningful conclusion can be drawn from it. A response rate of about 70% was reported, but non-response details were not given.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the high percentages as proof that communication barriers caused suicidal behavior. The study was cross-sectional and self-reported, and it did not test a treatment or prove cause.