Comparative study of third-party disability between mothers of children using hearing aids and those using cochlear implants

Abstract

Purpose: The study aims to investigate on application of ICF framework’s third-party disability in mothers of children with pre-lingual hearing impairment using hearing aids and cochlear implants. Method: This is a comparative study of 30 mothers of children (age between 8-12) using cochlear implant (G-1) and 30 mothers of children (age between 8-12) using hearing aids (G-2) was included for the study. A questionnaire was developed based on ICF-CY version, consisting of 46 questions distributed across 9 domains. The questionnaire form in the Hindi language was provided to the participants (mothers) with enough amount of time to complete it. For mothers who were not able to self-administer the tool, the researcher helped by interviewing them. Due to COVID- 19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown most parents (mothers) were unwilling to report to the clinic. Owing to this, to ensure safety of parents and children, data was obtained through virtual mode. Results: Across all domains, the comparison between Group A and Group B indicates no statistically significant difference except for two domains (general tasks and behaviours, communication). When the total third-party disability scores were analysed, it is seen that there is significant difference in third-party disability scores of the two groups. Conclusion: Findings enhances mothers of children with hearing aids report greater third-party disability as compared to mothers of children using unilateral cochlear implant. Implication: The study included only mothers and a limited number of them, hence generalizing the findings to a larger population may not be appropriate.