Aspects of quality of life in persons with pre-lingual deafness using sign language: subjective wellbeing, ill-health symptoms, depression and insomnia

Abstract

This study investigated health-related quality of life, expressed as subjective wellbeing and the prevalence of depressive symptoms and insomnia, among elderly pre-lingually deaf persons using sign language. Comparisons were made with elderly hearing people. Forty-five pre-lingually deaf persons, 65 years or older, took part (a response rate of 46%). Subjective wellbeing was assessed with the Gothenburg Quality of Life (GQL) instrument. Depressive symptoms were rated with the 15-item version of the geriatric depression scale (GDS), and insomnia was measured with Livingston's sleep scale. Ratings of subjective wellbeing among elderly pre-lingually deaf people were generally high. One third of the deaf persons demonstrated depressive symptoms and nearly two thirds suffered from insomnia. There was substantial correlation between insomnia, depressive symptoms and lower subjective wellbeing. The results strengthened the assumption that depressive symptoms and sleep disturbance are more frequent among elderly pre-lingually deaf people using sign language than among hearing people. On the other hand, and contrary to our expectations, this did not imply significantly lower perceived subjective wellbeing compared with hearing elderly people. Results must be interpreted with caution due to limitations in the study.