Mothers' stress and expectations as a function of time since child's cochlear implantation

This study examined stress, attitudes, and expectations among mothers of deaf children who underwent cochlear implantation (CI), as related to time elapsed since surgery. Participants were 64 mothers of such children at different points in the implantation process: candidates, 0-3 years postimplantation, and more than 3 years later. Expectations in communication and academic domains decreased as time since implantation passed. No differences emerged in stress levels between the 3 groups. Higher levels of mothers' and fathers' education correlated with lower stress levels. Older mothers expressed lower levels on the cohesion dimension of family functioning. Findings suggested the need to consider mothers' expectations in the rehabilitation process and to encourage mothers' realistic expectations with regard to the effects of CI.