Parent-Child Attachment in deaf Toddlers: A Comparative Study

The present study aimed to investigate attachment in deaf toddlers and compare the results with their hearing peers.

The study is a descriptive retrospective one. The population includes all profound deaf toddlers of 10-24 months who had referred to Iran Cochlear Implant Center. They were in cochlear Implant waiting list. 37 deaf toddlers were selected by random sampling. Their average age was 13.24. Also, 30 normal children with the average age of 11.16 were selected and compared to deaf toddlers in terms of child-parent attachment. Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS: Condon & Corkindale) was completed by mothers of both hearing and deaf groups. Data analysis was done by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and independent t-test in SPSS 22.

The results showed that there was no significant difference between the hearing and deaf groups in terms of the total score of attachment and its subscales, including attachment quality, absence of hostility and pleasure in interaction. (P<0.001)

It seems that, deafness in children alone would not reduce maternal attachment to them. Factors such as the age of intervention, parents’ sensitivity and accountability level, and social support to facilitate the acceptance of deafness affect the quality of parent-child attachment.