Social-emotional factors underlying internalizing problems and peer relations in deaf or hard of hearing youth

Abstract

The goal of this dissertation was to enhance our understanding about internalizing problems and peer relations in DHH youth (aged around 11 years). This was done along principles of the developmental psychopathology framework in which DHH children were compared to their hearing counterparts and in which multiple (underlying) social-emotional factors were examined. Results showed that DHH youth reported equal levels of somatic complaints, but more depressive symptoms, lower friendship quality and some forms of victimization more than their hearing peers. Throughout the dissertation a recurring DHH-related characteristic causing variability within the DHH sample was type of education; DHH children in special education reported poorer outcomes than their DHH peers in mainstream education. Concerning the underlying factors, a key finding was that emotional functioning underlies the development of internalizing problems and peer relations in both DHH and hearing youth, while the influence of social factors caused a discrepancy between the two groups. For example, poor social understanding is related to depressive symptoms in DHH youth, while this relation is absent in the hearing sample. Peer relations and social understanding should receive focal attention in practice and future research with DHH youth.