Comparison of general health status in mothers of hearing and hearing-impaired children

The birth of a hearing-impaired child and raising him/her often brings special psychological feelings for parents، especially mothers who spend more time with the child. This study aimed to compare the general health status in mothers of hearing-impaired and hearing children. This was a descriptive-analytic study. General Health Questionnaire was used to identify general health status; and data were analyzed with independent-t test. The general health level of mothers of hearing-impaired children was lower than mothers of normal hearing children (p=0. 01). The average scores of anxiety (p=0. 01)، depression (p= 0. 01) and physical (p=0. 02) symptoms and social function (p=0. 01) of mothers of hearing-impaired children was higher than mothers of normal hearing ones (p=0. 01). Having a child with hearing impairment affects mothers’ general health status. Our findings show that it’s necessary to provide psychological and social support for mothers of hearing-impaired children.