A retrospective narrative of the social and emotional experiences of growing up with a unilateral hearing loss
Date
2017
Authors
Osman, Rizwana
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Abstract
Unilateral hearing loss (UHL), commonly known as 'single-sided deafness,'
constitutes an ignored and under-researched population group. The limited
existing research has established that persons with UHL tend to experience
challenges in various social, emotional, language and academic areas, and thus
persons with UHL experience more problems than previously realised. This study
aims to address this gap by exploring the socio-emotional experiences of three
persons with UHL. In addition, the researcher’s personal narrative as a person
with UHL is included to provide another perspective. The participants were
interviewed which provided narratives The theoretical framework of
Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological model (1977-2009) and Vygotsky's (1962-1998)
theories of language were used to interpret the influence of a child's surrounding
social and cultural environments, and their interactions. The narrative data were
analysed and interpreted using coding and categorising processes. Findings from
the personal narratives revealed themes of anger, isolation, frustration as well as,
indicated that children with UHL require assistance regarding disclosing their
hearing loss. Additionally, topics such as ‘teasing’, ‘disturbing experiences during
hearing loss diagnosis’ and ‘feelings of loneliness’ were also revealed. This study
established that a child's surrounding social and cultural environments play a
significant role in shaping their attitudes and perceptions of their unilateral hearing
loss, and not all of the participants experienced disabling social challenges. Those
who have intervention opportunities such as counselling, develop more effective
communication and coping skills required for persons with UHL. In addition, links
between interventions and coping skills were also revealed. Recommendations for
future research include investigating the links between a child with UHL,
intervention and coping skills, with a particular focus on their quality of life
experiences. Significantly, there is a need for intervention programmes that
address the social and emotional needs of children with UHL on an individual
basis.
Keywords
Unilateral hearing loss; hearing related quality of life; Coping skills; Expressive
Language; Stories; Autoethnography; Narrative Inquiry.
Description
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
(PhD) in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, South Africa. December 2017.
Keywords
Citation
Osman, Rizwana (2017) A retrospective narrative of the social and emotional experiences of growing up with a unilateral hearing loss, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, <https://hdl.handle.net/10539/25453>