Assessment on the perceived self-esteem of Saudi adults with deafness and hard of hearing

Abstract

Background: Hearing is an important sense that individuals depend on in their day-to-day activities. However, labeling and stigmatization can disturb the perceived self-esteem of a deaf person, particularly in a predominantly hearing environment. As such, this study explored the of deaf Saudi people’s perceived self-esteem.Methods: One hundred and one participants took part in the study and answered the questionnaire sent to each participant online. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23.Results: This study showed that about half of them felt proud to belong in the deaf community. In terms of their perceived self-esteem, they wish to have more self-respect although half of them strongly disagreed that they feel useless at times. Likewise, 50% of the study group felt the sense of belongingness as they interact with the hearing community. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between perceived self-esteem and age, gender, and having hearing loss at birth, regardless whether with oneself, or with deaf or hearing community. On the other hand, there is a significant difference in the degree of hearing when using hearing aid upon interaction with the deaf community and in the mode of communication with their parents.Conclusions: The use of hearing aid plays a great role in improving the communication skills of deaf people. Likewise, increased communication with their family, whether deaf or not, can potentially increase their self-worth. Introduction of deaf or hard of hearing role models and the use of other senses, such as sight and sensation, can be utilized to improve positive self-esteem.