Mumtaz Nazia, Saqulain Ghulam, Babur Muhammad Naveed
Department of Speech and Language Pathology, Faculty of Rehabilitation and Allied Health Sciences, Riphah International University, Lahore, Pakistan.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Capital Hospital PGMI, Islamabad, Pakistan.
East Mediterr Health J. 2023 Jan 19;29(1):33-39. doi: 10.26719/emhj.23.012.
Hearing impairment and its consequences in children are often worsened by late identification in Pakistan. Deep-rooted cultural beliefs make some parents reluctant to seek clinical treatment, making adaptable solutions that traverse levels of socio-ecological model necessary.
To determine the impact of hearing impairment on children's participation in social activities, and the financial burden on their parents.
This cross-sectional study included 377 parents of children with hearing impairment. The sample was recruited from special education schools and hospitals in Islamabad and Lahore, Pakistan, from November 2015 to April 2016. A 15-item structured questionnaire was used for data collection. SPSS version 21 was used for statistical analysis.
Among children with hearing impairment, 47.5% faced moderate challenges in joining social activities, and 26.0% faced severe challenges. There was a significant positive correlation between the severity of hearing impairment, the person who suspected hearing impairment, age of detection of hearing impairment, and time of referral. Children with hearing impairment caused moderate financial strain on 39.0% of parents and mild strain on 26.8%.
Hearing impairment can significantly impact children's participation in social activities and cause financial burdens on their parents.
在巴基斯坦，儿童听力障碍及其后果往往因发现较晚而恶化。根深蒂固的文化观念使一些家长不愿寻求临床治疗，因此需要有能跨越社会生态模型各层面的适应性解决方案。
确定听力障碍对儿童参与社会活动的影响以及给其父母带来的经济负担。
这项横断面研究纳入了377名听力障碍儿童的家长。样本于2015年11月至2016年4月从巴基斯坦伊斯兰堡和拉合尔的特殊教育学校和医院招募。使用一份包含15个条目的结构化问卷收集数据。采用SPSS 21版进行统计分析。
在听力障碍儿童中，47.5%在参与社会活动方面面临中度挑战，26.0%面临重度挑战。听力障碍的严重程度、怀疑有听力障碍的人、听力障碍的发现年龄以及转诊时间之间存在显著正相关。听力障碍儿童给39.0%的家长造成了中度经济压力，给26.8%的家长造成了轻度经济压力。
听力障碍会显著影响儿童参与社会活动，并给其父母带来经济负担。
