The Problem of Peer Violence Among Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

Abstract

The work was created with the desire to point out the problem of peer violence among deaf and hard of hearing students. Due to their specific characteristics created under the influence of hearing impairment, deaf and hard of hearing students are exposed to a greater risk of peer violence compared to their hearing peers. The aim of the paper is to analyze the available literature from years 2002-2022 and determine whether deaf and hard-of-hearing students are exposed to peer violence and what its nature is. The following search engines were used to search the literature: Ebscohost, ScienceDirect,, KoBSON, Google Scholar. The results of the literature review show that deaf and hard of hearing students are exposed to peer violence and that the frequency of peer violence is higher among deaf and hard of hearing students compared to their hearing peers. Deaf and hard of hearing students are more often exposed to traditional forms of violence than to cyberbullyng. Research also shows that the frequency of peer violence is higher in special than in regular schools. As due to the nature of their communication and social functioning, deaf and hard of hearing students are actually not always able to recognize and report peer violence, the question arises of the actual level of frequency of peer violence among these students. The problem of peer violence among deaf and hard of hearing students indicates the need to develop programs for the prevention and stopping peer violence that will be adapted to deaf and hard of hearing students.