Abstract
In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey of 60 parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing infants (D/HH) enrolled in kindergarten at a school for the deaf in the Kyushu-Okinawa region, regarding their parenting stress and the supports they need.
On the “social isolation” scale, stress tended to decrease as the children's age increased, suggesting that the support functions provided by school for the deaf and developmental support centers play important roles.
Although the support needs of parents with D/HH vary widely, conditions related to the children and parents (e.g., multiple disabilities of children) may serve as indicators when considering the support to be provided. In addition, a certain relationship was found between parenting stress and the support sought, suggesting that it might be meaningful to quantify the stresses that the parents are under and to consider while considering how support should be provided.
