Health-related quality of life among mothers of children with cochlear implants with and without developmental disabilities

Background: Cochlear implants (CIs) are widely used among children with severe to profound hearing loss. Raising a child with a CI presents unique challenges to the family, especially when the child has a developmental disability (CI-DD).

Aims: This study aimed to elucidate the relations between the functioning of children with CIs, their mothers' coping resources (i.e., social support and family-centered care), and maternal health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Also, it examined whether the presence of a DD in addition to the child's deafness moderated these relations.

Methods and procedures: A sample of 100 mothers of children with CIs (54 in the CI-DD group) completed questionnaires regarding perceived social support, family-centered care, and HRQoL.

Outcomes and results: Mothers of deaf children with CIs and DD experienced lower levels of family functioning and HRQoL across all dimensions compared to mothers of deaf children with CIs without DD. In addition, social support was positively related to HRQoL only among mothers of children in the CI-DD group, indicating the protective role of social support.

Conclusions and implications: Social support is an important coping resource, and psychosocial support is needed for mothers of children with CIs, especially for mothers whose children also have a DD.