Evaluating Parenting Stress and Identifying Influential Factors in Caregivers of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children.

Abstract

Parenting stress significantly affects caregivers of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children, influenced by unique challenges and stressors. Background/Objectives: This study aims to develop the Chinese Family Stress Scale (CFSS) and to identify the stressors and contributing factors to elevated stress levels. Methods: The study involved 257 caregivers of DHH children aged 0-12 years old. The CFSS was used to assess parenting stress in caregivers of DHH children, with its reliability and validity evaluated. Factors such as speech intelligibility, oral language use, self-compassion, and social support were examined for their impact on parenting stress. Results: Key stressors included financial issues, discipline, education concerns, medical care, and safety. Elevated parenting stress was significantly associated with poor speech intelligibility of the child, inadequate oral language use, negative aspects of self-compassion, and insufficient social support. The CFSS showed good reliability and validity in measuring parenting stress among caregivers of DHH children. Conclusions: The CFSS is an effective tool for assessing parenting stress in caregivers of DHH children. Interventions to reduce parenting stress can focus on improving children's communication skills, enhancing caregiver self-compassion, and bolstering social support networks.