Well-Being and Coping Capacities of Adolescent Students with Hearing Loss in Mainstream Schools

OBJECTIVES: Coping strategies used by adolescents has an important role in preventing or decreasing their stresses and also increasing their well-beings. This study aimed at evaluating the coping capacity and well-being of adolescent students with hearing loss in mainstream schools and also the correlations between their coping strategies and positive characteristics of well-being (engagement, perseverance, optimism, connectedness and happiness (EPOCH). MATERIALS & METHODS: In this correlational study, 122 adolescent students with hearing loss were randomly selected from mainstream schools. Data collection was done by EPOCH Measure of Adolescent Well-Being and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WAYS). The Spearman correlation coefficient was used for determining the correlations between variables. RESULTS: The mean scores of using different coping strategies varied from 1.36 in problem solving to 1.44 in seeking support. Among the positive characteristics of well-being, happiness had the lowest (11.04) and connectedness showed the highest score (12.33). The findings also showed a significant correlation between all coping strategies and EPOCH, however there was a strong positive correlation between total coping strategy score and perseverance (0.648) and happiness (0.629). CONCLUSION: Based on the results, the score of happiness in students with hearing loss was the lowest among positive characteristics of well-being and also happiness showed a strong association with total scores in coping strategies. Accordingly, interventional studies are needed to examine whether training students with hearing loss to use coping strategies is effective in increasing their happiness and overall well-being.