A study on the hearing difficulty and process of disorder recognition in cases with unilateral hearing loss

Abstract

　We examined whether subjects with unilateral hearing loss (UHL) have any difficulties of dairy life, and how these subjects recognize their hearing difficulty and deal with problems, using the evaluation of hearing difficulty (Okano et al, 2013) and the life stories of the subjects from childhood to the present in 4 people with UHL. Subjects with UHL often found it difficult to hear and localize from the affected side when the ambient noise level was high, but there were individual differences in psychosocial issues. We analyzed their stories; there were 4 categories and 27 concepts, and we attempted to theorize on the process of disorder recognition in the subjects. They became aware of hearing difficulty from experiences of difficulty in hearing during schoolgoing-age; in some cases, they also experienced psychological conflicts in teenage. They accepted their hearing difficulty and used their own ingenious methods for communication until they became adults. Our findings suggested that the parents' negative recognition about UHL might affect their children to accept their hearing difficulty in teenage. Therefore, it is important that we provide support to children with UHL, and also their parents, over the long term according to their psychological state and growth, and we need to provide accurate information about UHL and peer support systems.