Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY
Volume 73, Issue 10, Pages 1423-1429Publisher
ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2009.07.009
Keywords
Cochlear implant; Quality of life; Hearing loss; Children; Normal hearing
Categories
Funding
- National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) [1 UL1 RR024982-01]
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- NIH Roadmap for Medical Research
- Med-El Corporation
- Crystal Charity Ball Cochlear Implant Summer Listening Camp in Dallas, Texas
- Colorado Neurological Institute's Cochlear Kids Camp in Estes Park, Colorado
- Children's House Montessori School in Allen, Texas
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Objective: Children with hearing loss who use cochlear implants have lower quality of life (QoL) in social situations and lower self-esteem than hearing peers. The child's QoL has been assessed primarily by asking the parent rather than asking the child. This poses a problem because parents have difficulty judging less observable aspects like self-esteem and socio-emotional functioning, the domains most affected by hearing loss. Methods: This case-control study evaluated QoL in 50 preschoolers using a cochlear implant and their parents with the Kiddy KINDL (R), an established QoL measure. Children's responses were compared to a hearing control group and correlated with demographic variables. We used a questionnaire for parents and a face-to-face interview with children. T-tests were used to compare (a) paired parent-child ratings and (b) children with cochlear implants versus normal hearing. Pearson rank correlations were used to compare QoL with demographic variables. Results: Children using cochlear implants rated overall QoL significantly more positively than their parents (M-Difference = 4.22, p = .03). Child rating of QoL did not differ significantly by auditory status (cochlear implant (82.8) vs. hearing (80.8), p = .42). Overall QoL correlated inversely with cochlear implant experience and chronologic age, but did not correlate with implantation age. Conclusions: Preschool children using cochlear implants can assess adequately their own QoL, but parents afford valuable complementary perspective on the child's socio-emotional and physical wellbeing. Preschool children using cochlear implants rate overall QoL measures similar to hearing peers. A constellation of QoL measures should be collected to yield a better understanding of general QoL as well as specific domains centered on hearing loss. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available