Prediction of Behavioral Disorders in Children with Hearing Impairment Based on Mothers' Maladaptive Emotional Schemas

Background and Purpose: Hearing impairment is one of the disabilities that can lead to mental health decline in mothers, which in turn may cause behavioral disorders in children. Present study was conducted to predict behavioral disorders in children with hearing impairment, based on maladaptive emotional schemas of their mothers. It was a descriptive correlational study. The research population consisted of the mothers of all children with hearing impairment who had referred to Pezhvak Deaf Health Clinic in Rasht in 2017. Of these mothers, 140 were selected by purposive sampling to complete child behavior inventory (Eyberg, 1978) and maladaptive schema questionnaire (Yang, 1998). Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient and simultaneous multiple regression. Findings showed that there was a significant positive relationship between maladaptive schemas of the mothers and the behavioral disorders in children with hearing impairment (P <0.01). Also, the schemas of impaired autonomy, impaired vigilance, and impaired limits in mothers could predict the behavioral disorders in their children. Among these schemas, the vigilance was a more significant predictor of the behavioral disorders (B= 0.235, t= 2.76, p<0.01). Modifying the emotional schemas of mothers and, as a result, their effective communication with their child suffering from hearing impairment can reduce behavioral disorders in the children and improve their mental health.