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. 2022 Mar 17;27(2):125-136.
doi: 10.1093/deafed/enab044.

Family Systems and Emotional Functioning in Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Preschool Children

Shannon Yuen  1 , Boya Li  1 , Yung-Ting Tsou  1 , Qi Meng  1 , Liyan Wang  2 , Wei Liang  2 , Carolien Rieffe  1   3   4
Affiliations

Family Systems and Emotional Functioning in Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Preschool Children

Shannon Yuen et al. J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ. .

Abstract

This study examined how deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) and typically hearing (TH) children may differ in their family system and emotional functioning and examined the relations between family system and children's emotional functioning. Parents of 106 DHH and 99 TH children (2-6 years) reported on family cohesion and adaptability, parental emotion communication, and their child's emotional functioning. The DHH children were rated lower on family cohesion and positive emotion expression than the TH children. Higher levels of family cohesion related to more positive emotion expression in TH children but not in DHH children. For all children, higher levels of family cohesion related to fewer negative emotion expressions and more parental emotion communication related to more negative emotion expression. The results emphasize the importance of sharing leisure activities together and open communication within the family, which can support DHH and TH children's experience of emotions and their expressions of them.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Interaction effect between family cohesion and positive emotion expression note: DHH = deaf or hard-of-hearing; TH = typically hearing.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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