Abstract
Generally, deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) children have fewer friends than hearing peers and their friendships are of a lower quality. The research hypothesis was that using the computer to communicate with new online friends through social network sites or playing games with offline friends is associated with D/HH friendship qualities, because it removes certain communication barriers D/HH face in offline communication settings. With online questionnaires the relation between computer use and online, mixed (offline friend who you also speak in online settings), and offline friendship quality of D/HH and hearing students (18–25 years) was compared in both the Netherlands (n = 100) and the United States (n = 122). In addition, the study examined whether the different friendship qualities were related to the participants' well-being. Results showed that, in general, D/HH students' friendship qualities and levels of well-being were similar to their hearing peers. The quality of the mixed friendships was positively related to well-being. Furthermore, the frequency of pc use with both online and offline friends was positively related to friendships qualities in both hearing and D/HH students. A combination of the online and offline friendship seems to be the most important friendship type for both hearing and D/HH students and it is worthwhile to encourage this friendship type.
Highlights
Deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) adolescents have more difficulties developing and maintaining friendships than hearing adolescents
Compared to their hearing peers D/HH adolescents generally have fewer friends and those friendships are of a lower quality [1]
No differences were found between the countries and hearing status on how many days per week the students were online, how many minutes they were online, the number of SNS profiles they have, and the frequency of visiting those SNS sites
Summary
Deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) adolescents have more difficulties developing and maintaining friendships than hearing adolescents. The question arises whether D/HH adolescents’ online activities are valuable for the quality of their friendships and for their well-being. Compared to their hearing peers D/HH adolescents generally have fewer friends and those friendships are of a lower quality [1]. Essential for adolescents’ development, friendships are seen as voluntarily initiating, maintaining and terminating reciprocal relationships. High-quality friendships are related to higher levels of socio-emotional well-being [2], positive social development [3] and better school adjustment [4]. Adolescents with fewer friends are more likely to drop out of school early, become involved in criminal activities and to develop a psychopathology [5]
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