Publication:

Assessment on the perceived self-esteem of Saudi adults with deafness and hard of hearing

Background Hearing is an important sense that individuals depend on in their day-to-day activities. However, labeling and stigmatization can disturb the perceived self-esteem of a deaf person, particularly in a predominantly hearing environment. As such, this study explored the of deaf Saudi people’s perceived self-esteem.

Methods One hundred and one participants took part in the study and answered the questionnaire sent to each participant online. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23.

Results This study showed that about half of them felt proud to belong in the deaf community. In terms of their perceived self-esteem, they wish to have more self-respect although half of them strongly disagreed that they feel useless at times. Likewise, 50% of the study group felt the sense of belongingness as they interact with the hearing community. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between perceived self-esteem and age, gender, and having hearing loss at birth, regardless whether with oneself, or with deaf or hearing community. On the other hand, there is a significant difference in the degree of hearing when using hearing aid upon interaction with the deaf community and in the mode of communication with their parents.

Conclusions The use of hearing aid plays a great role in improving the communication skills of deaf people. Likewise, increased communication with their family, whether deaf or not, can potentially increase their self-worth. Introduction of deaf or hard of hearing role models and the use of other senses, such as sight and sensation, can be utilized to improve positive self-esteem.