Factors that influence stress in caregivers of school-age children with hearing impairment.

OBJECTIVE Caring for children with hearing impairment can be stressful, but little is known about stress levels in caregivers of school-age children, particularly in the context of Australia. This study examined factors linked to caregiver stress in relation to nine-year-olds using hearing aids (HA) or cochlear implants (CI).

DESIGN Caregiver stress was measured using the 68-item Paediatric Hearing Impairment Caregiver Experience (PHICE) questionnaire, covering communication, education, emotional well-being, equipment, financial, healthcare, social, and support domains.

STUDY SAMPLE 212 caregivers of nine-year-old children with hearing impairment participated (139 with HA, 73 with CI). A subset with data from age five (n = 63) was used to assess changes in stress levels over time.

RESULTS Greater stress in areas such as communication and emotional well-being was associated with CI use relative to HA, mixed (spoken and signed) mode of communication compared to speech only, and child behavioural difficulties, while better child language and communication skills were linked to lower stress. Overall stress levels declined between the ages of five and nine only for caregivers of children with CI.

CONCLUSIONS Stress levels in caregivers of nine-year-old school-age children with hearing impairment are influenced by device type, mode of communication, child behavioural difficulties, and the child's language and communication abilities.