Resilience from childhood to young adulthood: retrospective perspectives of deaf and hard of hearing people who studied in regular schools

Objective: Most deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) youth grow up in hearing familial and educational environments, posing unique risks for their socio-emotional well-being. The study’s objective was to explore protective processes contributing to resilience among DHH individuals in different life periods. Design: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 23 DHH young adults on their life-long coping with having a hearing loss (HL). Main outcome measures: Thematic analysis identified, according to participants’ retrospective perceptions, processes that supported their positive adjustment from childhood up to early adulthood. Results: Themes were organised at three ecological levels: individual, including five subthemes (e.g. certain attitudes to HL); family, including various types of parental support; and community, including four subthemes (e.g. extra-curricular activities). Family and community level resources enabled and nurtured personal attitudes and coping abilities. The perceptions of which personal attitudes and contextual resources were helpful changed from childhood to young adulthood. Conclusions: Findings show how resilience is heterogeneously promoted in the unique context of DHH individuals living in hearing environments. They also show interactions between the individual, family and wider society and the dynamics of coping resources across time. Findings indicate the important of considering DHH individuals’ coping choices in their specific life context.