The Psychological Experiences of Adolescents With Profound Hearing Loss After Cochlear Implants

Cochlear implant is the implantation of an artificial cochlear in the inner ear with the function of the main cochlear. A large number of infants and adolescents who suffer from congenital hearing loss can hear and speak naturally in their growth stages with the aid of this device. On the one hand, medical measures and follow–ups for cochlear implantation and related stress to the family and communication on the other hand create special conditions for these people. Researchers have mostly studied the effect and consequences of cochlear implantation on people who suffer from hearing loss. However, there are fewer studies on the psychological experiences of the aforementioned group on the issues and consequences of this implantation. So, in this research, we attempted to study the lived experience of teens, who suffer from profound hearing loss, after cochlear implantation, to provide new insights and opportunities in their lives.

The present study was carried out through a qualitative–phenomenological approach. The statistical population consisted of teens that implanted cochlear under the coverage of the Welfare Organization of Tehran City, Iran, in 2019. Eleven teens were selected based on data saturation and purposive sampling method among those who had cochlear implantation in infancy or childhood, and 4 years have passed since their surgery (the inclusion criteria). Data collection was carried out through profound and open–ended interviews. To analyze data, a 7–step Colaizzi method (1979) was used as the following: reading important findings, empathizing with participants to understand them and extracting important statements concerning the study phenomenon, Giving specific concepts to the extracted statements, categorizing the obtained concepts and clusters, reverting to the main and comparative subjects and contents of data, describing the studied phenomenon, and final rendition of the phenomenon description to the participants to examine the reliability. Eventually, coding and extracting main and sub–categories were done. The participants’ review strategy was used to determine the validity. Evaluation of participants’ review was carried out through speech restoration and participants’ experience in an interview, as well as giving the full texts of codes and categories to three experts. In addition, their comments and ideas were used to modify or confirm this evaluation. Full texts along with codes and categories were provided to three members to examine the transferability. Moreover, there was an attempt to record all the activities accurately in relation to the effectiveness of the process.

According to the qualitative content analysis, a total of 32 themes were extracted of which 10 themes were main themes: “attention”, “dependency,” “avocation”, “aggression”, “fear”, “love”, “communication”, “futurism,” “expectation”, and “concept comprehension”. Also, 28 sub–themes were positive “attention”, “inattention (attention theme)”, “dependency to the implanted device”, “dependency to people (dependency theme)”, “practical involvement”, “mental involvement (involvement theme)”, “boredom”, “anger”, “apathy”, “disinterest (aggression theme)”, “discomfort”, “anxiety (fear theme)”, “displeasure”, “euphoria (love theme)”, “telephone conversation”, “teacher communication”, “peer interaction”, “relative interaction (interaction theme)”, “future planning”, “future hope (futurism theme)”, “expectation of family”, “expectation of the educational environment”, “expectation of society”, “expectation of peers (expectation theme)”, “dreaming”, “imagination”, “stranger” and “independence (understanding theme)”.

The results of the interview revealed 10 main themes and 28 sub–themes were extracted in total. Identifying the perceived experiences of the studied sample can provide better psychological and social services by their families, psychologists, social workers and paramedics.