The psychological process from avoidance to acceptance in adults with acquired hearing impairment

Abstract

Objective: This study explored the psychological process from avoidance to acceptance in adults with acquired hearing impairment. Study design: A descriptive qualitative interview study was conducted in Sweden in 2010. Participants were 18 adults with an acquired sensorineural hearing impairment aged 50–70 years, who had recently obtained hearing aids at the Audiology Clinic of the Örebro University Hospital. The sample included both first-time hearing aid users (n = 10) and experienced hearing aid users (n = 8). Each participant took part in one semi-structured interview. Qualitative content analysis was performed on the manifest content of the interview transcripts. Results: Participants described the process from avoidance to acceptance as a slow and gradual process rooted in the awareness of the frequency and severity of hearing disability and of its psychological consequences. Facilitators included adaptive coping mechanisms, other people's comments and positive experiences, accessibility of help-seeking and routine health assessments. In contrast, barriers included maladaptive coping mechanisms and stigma. Conclusions: Participants described the process of acceptance as a personal process that involved, to some extent, their social network of family, friends and colleagues. It was also a trade-off between the consequences of untreated hearing impairment and the threat to normal identity that, through stigma, hearing impairment carries. Further studies are needed to fully investigate the role of access to information on hearing impairment acceptance. How professionals and society can facilitate the process of acceptance should also be a focus of future research efforts.

Key words::

• acceptance
• avoidance
• hearing impairment
• coping
• help-seeking
• qualitative interview

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

This study was funded by a programme grant from the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research.