Factors Related to Personal Resiliency in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Adolescents

Abstract

Hearing loss is a risk factor for a child's appropriate psychosocial development but is not a risk factor for the development of resiliency. Thus, the aim of this research was to determine the level of resiliency, as well as its relation to internal and external factors, in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) adolescents. The sample included 55 DHH students, 12-14 years of age. Resiliency Scales for Children & Adolescents was used in this research. The obtained results showed that DHH students perceived their resiliency in the average range, except in subscales: Self-efficacy (within Sense of Mastery Scale), Social Support (within Sense of Relatedness Scale), Impairment (within Emotional Reactivity Scale) in which the results were within a higher range, and Recovery (within Emotional Reactivity Scale) in which the results were in a lower range.