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Communication, inclusion and psychological wellbeing among deaf and hard of hearing children: A qualitative study in the Gaza Strip

Deaf and hard of hearing children are at risk of exclusion from community life and education, which may increase their risk of mental health conditions. This study explores the experience of deaf and hard of hearing children in the Gaza Strip, with particular focus on the factors that contribute to...

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Autores principales: Scherer, Nathaniel, Smythe, Tracey, Hussein, Ramadan, Wapling, Lorraine, Hameed, Shaffa, Eaton, Julian, Kabaja, Naim, Kakuma, Ritsuko, Polack, Sarah
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10243624/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37279194
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001635
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author Scherer, Nathaniel
Smythe, Tracey
Hussein, Ramadan
Wapling, Lorraine
Hameed, Shaffa
Eaton, Julian
Kabaja, Naim
Kakuma, Ritsuko
Polack, Sarah
author_facet Scherer, Nathaniel
Smythe, Tracey
Hussein, Ramadan
Wapling, Lorraine
Hameed, Shaffa
Eaton, Julian
Kabaja, Naim
Kakuma, Ritsuko
Polack, Sarah
author_sort Scherer, Nathaniel
collection PubMed
description Deaf and hard of hearing children are at risk of exclusion from community life and education, which may increase their risk of mental health conditions. This study explores the experience of deaf and hard of hearing children in the Gaza Strip, with particular focus on the factors that contribute to psychological wellbeing and distress. In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 deaf and hard of hearing children, 10 caregivers of deaf and hard of hearing children and eight teachers of deaf and hard of hearing children in mainstream and special schools, across the Gaza Strip. Further, three focus group discussions were held with deaf and hard of hearing adults and disability leaders, mental health specialists and other teachers of deaf and hard of hearing children. Data collection was completed in August 2020. Key themes identified in the analysis included lack of accessible communication, community exclusion, negative attitudes towards hearing impairment and deafness and the impact on deaf and hard of hearing children’s sense of self, and limited family knowledge on hearing impairment and deafness. Further findings focused on strategies to improve the inclusion of deaf and hard of hearing children and how to promote wellbeing. In conclusion, participants in this study believed that deaf and hard of hearing children in the Gaza Strip are at increased risk of mental health conditions. Changes are needed across community and government structures, including education systems, to promote the inclusion of deaf and hard of hearing children and to support their psychological wellbeing. Recommendations from the findings include increasing efforts to improve awareness and reduce stigma, providing better access to sign language for deaf and hard of hearing children, and offering training for teachers of deaf and hard of hearing children, especially in mainstream environments.
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spelling pubmed-102436242023-06-07 Communication, inclusion and psychological wellbeing among deaf and hard of hearing children: A qualitative study in the Gaza Strip Scherer, Nathaniel Smythe, Tracey Hussein, Ramadan Wapling, Lorraine Hameed, Shaffa Eaton, Julian Kabaja, Naim Kakuma, Ritsuko Polack, Sarah PLOS Glob Public Health Research Article Deaf and hard of hearing children are at risk of exclusion from community life and education, which may increase their risk of mental health conditions. This study explores the experience of deaf and hard of hearing children in the Gaza Strip, with particular focus on the factors that contribute to psychological wellbeing and distress. In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 deaf and hard of hearing children, 10 caregivers of deaf and hard of hearing children and eight teachers of deaf and hard of hearing children in mainstream and special schools, across the Gaza Strip. Further, three focus group discussions were held with deaf and hard of hearing adults and disability leaders, mental health specialists and other teachers of deaf and hard of hearing children. Data collection was completed in August 2020. Key themes identified in the analysis included lack of accessible communication, community exclusion, negative attitudes towards hearing impairment and deafness and the impact on deaf and hard of hearing children’s sense of self, and limited family knowledge on hearing impairment and deafness. Further findings focused on strategies to improve the inclusion of deaf and hard of hearing children and how to promote wellbeing. In conclusion, participants in this study believed that deaf and hard of hearing children in the Gaza Strip are at increased risk of mental health conditions. Changes are needed across community and government structures, including education systems, to promote the inclusion of deaf and hard of hearing children and to support their psychological wellbeing. Recommendations from the findings include increasing efforts to improve awareness and reduce stigma, providing better access to sign language for deaf and hard of hearing children, and offering training for teachers of deaf and hard of hearing children, especially in mainstream environments. Public Library of Science 2023-06-06 /pmc/articles/PMC10243624/ /pubmed/37279194 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001635 Text en © 2023 Scherer et al https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Research Article
Scherer, Nathaniel
Smythe, Tracey
Hussein, Ramadan
Wapling, Lorraine
Hameed, Shaffa
Eaton, Julian
Kabaja, Naim
Kakuma, Ritsuko
Polack, Sarah
Communication, inclusion and psychological wellbeing among deaf and hard of hearing children: A qualitative study in the Gaza Strip
title Communication, inclusion and psychological wellbeing among deaf and hard of hearing children: A qualitative study in the Gaza Strip
title_full Communication, inclusion and psychological wellbeing among deaf and hard of hearing children: A qualitative study in the Gaza Strip
title_fullStr Communication, inclusion and psychological wellbeing among deaf and hard of hearing children: A qualitative study in the Gaza Strip
title_full_unstemmed Communication, inclusion and psychological wellbeing among deaf and hard of hearing children: A qualitative study in the Gaza Strip
title_short Communication, inclusion and psychological wellbeing among deaf and hard of hearing children: A qualitative study in the Gaza Strip
title_sort communication, inclusion and psychological wellbeing among deaf and hard of hearing children: a qualitative study in the gaza strip
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10243624/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37279194
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001635
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