Parental reaction to diagnosis of infant hearing loss

ABSTRACT Objective This study aimed to investigate parental reactions to a diagnosis of Permanent Childhood Hearing Loss (PCHL) and the implications for engagement in medical investigations and early intervention services. The study sought to determine the impact of type of hearing loss, presence of parental depression or anxiety, and parental reflective function on timely engagement with services for children with bilateral PCHL. Method Questionnaires were completed by 27 parents of babies aged 3-5 months, diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss. Measures included the DASS 21, DMRF (Diamond Maternal Reflective Function Scale), and demographic items. Clinical charts were accessed six months later to ascertain timing of engagement with medical and early intervention services. Results 86% of families attended all required medical appointments following diagnosis. Early intervention services were attended by 65.5% of families. Parental anxiety was the only significant factor in engagement with early intervention services. There was no impact of reflective functioning, parent education and additional medical needs of the child on engagement. The participants also had lower levels overall of anxiety and depression (compared to normative data) but higher levels of stress on the DASS. Discussion While many factors may impact on the likelihood of timely attendance at medical appointments and engagement with early intervention services (EI), support needs to be tailored to each family to ameliorate any potential barriers and ensure that access is easily available, particularly when there may be parental anxiety. This study shows that higher levels of anxiety were significantly associated with decreased engagement with EI.