Negotiating reassurance: parents’ narratives on follow-up after cochlear implantation

Abstract

This study presents an analysis of parental experiences on follow-up after cochlear implantation. Data were constructed in semi-structured, individual interviews with the parents of 14 children who use cochlear implants. Drawing on narrative analysis, the study explores parental responses to insecurity concerning children’s learning and development, as well as the meaning professional support holds for parents. In their response to insecurity, the parents handle the ‘trouble’ of insecurity through constructing two narratives of self: the parent-as-learner and the parent-as-teacher. The parents use these narrative constructions to negotiate reassurance, holding themselves responsible for future outcomes. The parents’ stories reflect a language of instrumentality, inducing a burden of responsibility. The study addresses the need to question to which extent parents should act as teachers and cautions that, while acknowledging the importance of parents’ involvement for children’s learning and development, this should not reduce the relationship to a functional, pedagogical one. The contribution of the study is to bring into conversation how the language of instrumentality affects the parents and how this invokes a need for rethinking parent support. Suggestions for further research are given.

Keywords:

• parent perspectives
• parent support
• parent insecurity
• cochlear implants
• narrative analysis

Disclosure statement

The authors state that there are no conflicts of interest. No financial interests or benefits arise from the direct applications of the research.

Notes

1. A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted hearing device that provides access to sound, and thus to spoken language, to a person diagnosed with profound hearing loss. Currently, about 90–95% of children in Norway who are deaf are offered CIs (Kirkehei et al. 2011), often before ten months of age (source: Rikshospitalet Oslo).

2. E.g. Foreldrekompetanse. Kurs, utdannelse og veiledning [Parenting skills. Courses, education and counselling], retrieved from http://www.foreldrekompetanse.no; Hvem skal oppdra mor og far? (2012) [Who will educate mum and dad?], retrieved from http://m.db.no.

3. The paper uses the term ‘deaf and hard of hearing’ as a functional term, indicating persons diagnosed with various degrees of hearing loss, being aware that the term ‘deaf’ has different meanings in different cultural contexts.

4. For an overview, see appendix.