| Objective: To examine the development of the social-life ability and its related factors in hearing impaired children, in order to provide a theoretical basis for improving the quality of life with hearing impairment.Methods: According to the principle of informed consent, 92 children aged 6-120 months were selected in the Otolaryngology clinic and ward of our hospital from July 2013 to January 2014, 46 hearing impaired children as case group, another 46 normal hearing children as control group. They were divided into four age groups, respectively, 1. Young infancy(6-12months); 2. Infancy(1-3years); 3. Pre-school age(3-6years); 4. School age(6-10years). The hearing test was taken with Denmark hearing screening instrument and Canada brainstem auditory evoked potential instrument. The social-life ability and its related factors were collected with Infants-Junior Middle School Students’ Social-Life Abilities Scale and questionnaire of influential factors.Results:1. The sample size: 46 hearing impaired children, including 24 with severe hearing impairment and 22 with profound hearing impairment, also, 46 gender-matched normal hearing appropriate children were collected in this study,including 27 boys and 19 girls.2. The differences between the severe and profound hearing impairment were not significant among groups of gender, age, delivery mode, birth weight, perinatal period,abnormality at birth, neonatal period, gestation period(c2 values were 0.807, 1.620,0.087, 0.400, 1.075, 0.138, 2.681, 0.093, P>0.05).3. The six act of social-life ability showed no gender differences:(1) Self-help;(2)Locomotion;(3) Occupation;(4) Communication;(5) Socialization;(6) Self-direction.(t values were 0.236,-0.193, 0.308, 0.966, 0.149, 0.180,-0.105,-0.191, 0.145,-0.034,0.060, 0.140, P>0.05).(1)The Self-help of young infancy, pre-school age and school age groups with hearing impairment were much worse than those with normal hearing in self-help(t values were5.245, 2.652, 2.508, P<0.05), however, no difference was found in infancy group(t=0.749,P>0.05). Also, there was no significant difference in the total sample(t=0.646, P>0.05).(2)There was no significant difference in Locomotion between hearing impaired children and normal hearing children in each age group and the total sample(t values were0.907, 3.432, 1.990, 1.219, P>0.05).(3)The infancy, pre-school age and school age groups with hearing impairment were much worse than those with normal hearing children in Occupation(t values were 2.821,3.504, 2.642, P<0.05). In the total sample, the hearing impairment were much worse than those with normal hearing children in Occupation(4.65±4.373) vs(6.43±4.622), t=1.900,P<0.05.(4)Each age group of the hearing impairment were much worse than those with normal hearing children in Communication(t values were 11.225, 5.587, 8.316, 3.962,P<0.05). In the total sample, the hearing impairment were much worse than those with normal hearing children in Communication(3.96±4.623) vs(6.84±6.510),t=3.804, P<0.05.(5)The young infancy, pre-school and school age groups with hearing impairment were much worse than those with normal hearing children in Socialization(t values were8.325, 2.449, 5.329, P<0.05). In the total sample, the hearing impairment were much worse than those with normal hearing children in Socialization(5.96±4.507) vs(8.70±6.099),t=2.450, P<0.05.(6)The pre-school age and school age groups with hearing impairment were much worse than those with normal hearing children in Self-direction(t values were 2.433, 3.621,P<0.05).In the total sample, no significant difference was found between the hearing impaired children and normal hearing children(t=1.766, P>0.05).4. The standardized score of social-life ability: the score of the hearing impaired children were worse than that of normal hearing children in every age groups and the total sample(t values were 14.000, 4.104, 5.547, 5.222, 10.603, P<0.05).5. The maternal age at child birth and the social-life ability: No differences were found between the maternal age at childbirth both in each age group of hearing impaired children(t values were 0.480, 1.765, P>0.05). In the total sample, there were no significant differences between the maternal age at childbirth in hearing impaired children(t values were 1.139, P>0.05).6. The family influential factors and the social-life ability:(1)No differences were found among the number of children, the occupation of parents and maternal company time both in each age group of hearing impaired children and age-matched normal hearing children as well as the total sample(t values were 1.635,0.180, 0.638, 1.119, P>0.05).(2)The hearing impaired children’ pre-school age and school age groups got higher scores whose caregivers were parents, in higher education groups(mother and father)(t values were 2.658, 2.829, 2.829, P<0.05).The scores of the hearing impaired children’young infancy, pre-school age and school age groups with longer parental company time are significantly higher than those with shorter parental company time(t values were2.485,10.101, P<0.05). In total sample, the standard score of hearing impaired children are higher whose caregivers are parents rather than grandparents, and with longer parental company time(t values are 2.121, 4.875, P<0.05).(3)There were no significant difference in normal hearing children among the above factors(t values were 0.383, 0.775, 0.604, 0.453, 0.896, 0.526, 0.495, 0.186, P>0.05).7. Of all the factors, stepwise multiple linear regression(α=0.10) showed that, hearing,parental company time and caregivers had the most important effect on social-life ability of children.Conclusion: 1. The social-life ability of hearing impaired children lag behind age-matched normal hearing children. The six acts of hearing impaired children were all lag behind age-matched normal hearing children except in Locomotion, mainly in Occupation, Communication and Socialization.2. Listening is the most important influence factor of children’ social-life ability. 3. Hearing impaired children whose caregivers were parents. in higher education groups(mother and father), with longer parental company time had better social-life ability. |
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