Psychosocial Well-Being of Adults Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.

Abstract

Psychosocial well-being can interfere with engagement in activities of daily life. Consideration of psychosocial domains within hearing health care can expand audiologists' ability to understand treatment barriers and provide an opportunity to jointly address challenges. This study explored psychosocial well-being and predictors among adults who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). Cross-sectional survey. Two-hundred and sixty-nine surveys were included in the analysis. Data were collected online. Backward elimination regression analyses were used to identify significant predictors of psychosocial well-being. Findings indicated most (∼70-80%) of the respondents' scores were below clinical cut-off for psychological distress, self-efficacy, quality of life, overall well-being, functioning, and relationship satisfaction, with the remainder falling between mild to severe clinical cut-offs. Psychological distress was predicted by more psychological inflexibility, presence of additional disabilities, and younger age. Increased functional impairment was predicted by psychological inflexibility. The majority of adults who are DHH in this study had positive indicators for psychosocial well-being. Screening patients for psychological flexibility could be included in standard hearing health care practices to help clinicians identify individuals who may benefit from additional or different support.