Language Behaviours in Children with Hearing Impairment vs. the Social Functioning of Their Mothers-Comparative Surveys

The object and aim of the undertaken surveys was to assess the modifying impact of a child’s language development (independent variable) on selected areas of their mother’s functioning-the appearance of symptoms of depression, and concentration on the child’s disability (dependent variable). Surveys in a group of the same 30 dyads (mother-child) connected with the Association of Family and Friends of Children with Hearing Impairment in Krosno were conducted in 2007 and repeated after 9 years. Analysis of the test data (n=60) confirmed the hypothesis that the appearance of symptoms of depression in mothers is less frequent and a mother’s perception of a child’s hearing impairment as burdensome decreases alongside the development of a child’s language competence. The article is critical of the results of surveys conducted by other researchers. The authors also analyse other factors, including the Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening Programme, place of residence, quality of specialist treatment and therapy, and the passage of time, which may influence change in the functioning of mothers of children with hearing impairment.