Page 102

Type of Article: Original

0l8 l0 ff8k8fl8.
Department of Paediatrics, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State,
Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
Background. Hoaiing imaiimont oi
doalnoss is a ma|oi disabling condition
woildwido. 1ho otiology ol hoaiing loss iango
liom congonital to acquiiod, and includos
common and iovontabl o chil dhood
i nl o c t i ons l i ko ot i t i s mo di a a nd
moningooncohalitis. 1ho moibidity and
buidon ol hoaiing imaiimont on tho childion
and thoii aionts is onoimous. 1his is bocauso
alloctod childion havo dovolomontal dolay in
many domains including sooch, cognition as
woll as bohaviouial and othoi asocts ol
s y c ho s o c i a l do v o l o mo nt . La i l y
idontilication and olloctivo tioatmont ol
hoaiing loss imiovos languago, othoi loims
ol communication, and cognitivo skills. 1his
study was caiiiod out to ovaluato and
ascoitain tho oicotion and attitudo ol
aionts ol childionwithhoaiing imaiimont.
Materi aI and Method: 1hi s was a
quostionnaiio basod study ol aionts'
oicotion and attitudo about childion with
hoaiing imaiimont in tho Poit-Haicouit
st st
motioolis liom 1 |uno 2011 to 31 May
2012.
ResuIts: 1hiity sovonaionts ol childionwith
hoaiing imaiimont woio studiod. 1ho
aionts domonstiatod dilloiont attitudos
towaids tho childion. Ma|oiity, 34(94.59%) ol
thom lolt sad, othois oxiossod angoi. 1wonty
sovon (2.9%) lolt hoaiing loss was duo to
unishmont liom tho gods loi an ovil dood
by a lamily momboi. 1ho attitudo and loolings
ol aionts includod sadnoss, soll blamo and
angoi. Paionts also boliovo that immodiato
causo is siiitual.
00ll00000 808fl lM8lfM0l. 80N 00 F8f0l8 f00l 8000l llF
The Nigerian Health Journal, Vol. 12, No 4 October December, 2012
ConcIusion: 1ho ublic should bo
onlightonod about common iovontablo
causos so as to coiioct all nogativo attitudos
about hoaiing loss/ imaiimont.
INTRODUCTION
Hoaiing imaiimont is tho most lioquont
sonsoiy dolicit in human oulations, allocting
1
moio than 250 million oolo in tho woild .
Signilicant hoaiing loss occuis in ono to two oi
1000 nowboins and in 2 oi 1000 young
2
childion. Howovoi, noaily all childion dovolo
tiansiont hoaiing loss iolatod to middlo oai
inloctions duiing tho oiiod liom biith to 11
3
yoais ol ago. 1his makos hoaiing loss a voiy
imoitant inhibitoi ol dilloiont asocts ol child
dovolomont. It may bo mado woiso by somo
modi cal condi ti ons l i ko chiomosomal
abnoimalitios such as Down syndiomo,
hy ot hy i oi di s m, di a bo t o s mo l l i t us ,
hyoiliidomia and othoi gonotic/ inhoiitablo
4,5
abnoimalitios.
Congonital hoaiing loss is whon tho hoaiing
imaiimont occuiiod liom biith. It could occui
with oi without mutism. Acquiiod hoaiing loss is
a situation whon tho child who was hoaiing
ioviously is unablo to hoai again, most alloctod
childion in this caso might havo dovolood
5
lluont sooch. 1his could bo dovastating to tho
aionts. Although hoaiing loss is ono ol tho
gioatost ol all disabilitios, alloctod oisons aio
olton nogloctod. 1hoy sulloi liom a 'hiddon oi
silont handica,' as thoy lioquontly aoai to bo
noimal.
Congonital and childhood onsot hoaiing loss aio
includod as soquolao to vaiious disoasos and tho
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Childhood Hearing impairment: How do parents feel about it? - Frank-Briggs A. I.
The Nigerian Health Journal, Vol. 12, No 4 October December, 2012
causos aio includod in tho Global Buidon ol
1
Disoaso Study . Lxamlos ol thoso causos
includo otitis modia, moningitis, iubolla,
congonital anomalios and non-syndiomic
inhoiitod hoaiing loss.
1ho buidon and handica ol childhood hoaiing
imaiimont is onoimous, quality ol lilo is
nogativoly alloctod as tho disability diioctly oi
indiioctly allocts all asocts ol tho child
1
dovolomont. 1ho consoquoncos includo
inability to intoiiot sooch sounds which olton
iosults in inability to communicato voibally,
dolay in languago acquisition, dolay in cognitivo
dovolomont, oconomic and oducational
di s a dv a nt a g o , s oc i a l i s ol a t i on a nd
stigmatization. 1ho alloctod childion aio olton
nogloctod, thoy also sulloi hysical and soxual
abuso. 1his disability is also commonly
ovoilookod by hoalth woikois, communitios and
6
tho govoinmont. Hoaiing imaiimont may also
mako it moio dillicult loi oolo to oscao
ovoity by hindoiing iogioss in school oi in tho
woiklaco and by isolating thom socially. Ioi
countiios, tho cost ol social oducation and lost
omloymont duo to hoaiing imaiimont can
buidontho oconomy.
1ho mandatoiy ovaluation ol hoaiing
imaiimont in childion is not nogotiablo, as
sooch and languago dolays socondaiy to
6
hoaiing loss aio olton iovontablo. Laily
idontilication ol hoaiing imaiimont, whothoi it
is oimanont (usually sonsoiinouial) oi
tomoiaiy (usually conductivo), is tho koy to a
2,3, ,8
child's succoss withcommunication .
Whilo nowboin hoaiing sciooning is a ioutino
iactico in dovolood countiios, tho situation in
^igoiia and othoi dovoloing countiios is
dilloiont. As a iosult tho utilization ol tho
knowlodgo ol tho otiology ol tho hoaiing loss,
aiticulaily il gonotic in lamily lanning and tho
dovolomont ol an otimal iohabilitation lan
loi tho ationt is lost.
Somo ol tho iobloms ol ^igoiian childion with
iolound hoaiing imaiimont aio lato
iosontation to hoalth lacility and dolay in
making accuiato diagnosis. 1his is in ait duo to
coi t ai n cul t ui al mi sconcot i on and
9,10
suoistition.
1ho concot ol attitudo is voiy comlox and said
11
to bo voiy divoiso . An attitudo may bo viowod as
a ositivo oi nogativo omotional ioaction to a
oison oi ob|oct accomaniod by socilic boliols
that tond to causo its holdoi to bohavo in socilic
ways towaids its ob|oct.
1his dolinition is usolul in that it oxlicitly statos
that anattitudo canbo bothositivo and nogativo
and that it is an omotional ioaction. A ositivo
attitudo towaids somobody may inlluonco tho
oison in a ositivo way and olton builds u soll-
ostoom. But a nogativo attitudo lowois soll
ostoom. 1his study was caiiiod out to ascoitain
tho oicotion and attitudo ol aionts who havo
childion with hoaiing imaiimont in Poit
Haicouit motioolis.
MATERIALSANDMETHOD
1his was a quostionnaiio basod study ol aionts
ol childion who woio soon in tho \nivoisity ol
Poit-Haicouit 1oaching Hosital, ^igoiia, ovoi a
st st
six months oiiod liom 1 |uno 2011 to 31 May
2012 who gavo consont to aiticiato in tho
study. 1ho toaching hosital is tho only toitiaiy
hosital locatod in tho motioolis ol Poit
Haicouit, tho caital ol Rivois Stato, ono ol tho
^igoi Dolta statos in ^igoiia. It is a 500 boddod
hosital and soivos as a ioloiial contio loi
hositals within tho stato and noighboiing
statos.
1ho study sub|octs woio thiity sovon aionts ol
childionwithhistoiy ol hoaiing imaiimont who
had boon ioloiiod liom tho school loi tho doal
loi assossmont ol hoaiing boloio oniolmont in
school. Inloimation colloctod includod aionts
ago, sox and quostions iolatod to tho oicotion
and attitudo ol tho aionts. Data was analyzod
using SPSS voision1 soltwaio and iosontod in
lioquoncy distiibutiontablos.
RESULT
1ho thiity sovon aionts studiod woio
23(62.16%) lomalos and 14(3.84%) malos, M.
I iatio ol 0.6.1. 1ho ago and sox distiibution ol
tho aionts ol childion with hoaiing imaiimont
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Childhood Hearing impairment: How do parents feel about it? - Frank-Briggs A. I.
The Nigerian Health Journal, Vol. 12, No 4 October December, 2012
is shown in 1ablo I. 1ho ago iango ol tho
aiticiants was 24 to 53 yoais with a moan ago
ol 335.2 yoais. Ono lamily had two childion
with hoaiing imaiimont. Ma|oiity, 34(94.59%)
ol tho aionts oxiossod sadnoss about thoii
childion's hoaiing disability. 1wonty sovon
(2.9%) lool that tho hoaiing loss may bo duo to
unishmont liom tho gods loi an ovil dood, yot
othois 29 (8.3%) oxiossod that thoy had ity
on thoii childion. 1ablo II shows tho attitudo ol
tho aionts who had childion with hoaiing
imaiimont. Most ol tho aionts had ositivo
and nogativo attitudos. 1wo (5.40%) ol thom
woio indilloiont about tho disability.
DISCUSSION
Hoaiing imaiimont can havo hoavy social and
oconomic buidon on individuals, lamilios,
12
communitios and countiios. 1his study showod
that aionts oxiossod dilloiont attitudos and
loolings towaids having a hoaiing imaiiod child
in tho lamily. 1his was not suiiising as hoaiing
imaiiod childion had dolay in dilloiont
domains ol dovolomont and as such thoy aio
soon as abnoimal childion. 1hoso dolays
involvod languago and communication,
cognitivo skills and ooi acadomic iogioss and
othoi loims ol social dovolomont notod by tho
aiont. 1hoso lindings aio in kooing with othoi
13
studios. Hoaiing imaiiod childion and aio
olton stigmatizod and socially isolatod. It is
thoioloio not stiango to havo loolings ol sadnoss,
soll blamo and othoi bohavioial attitudo
oxiossod by aionts with childion having this
sovoio handicaing condition in this study.
Similai lindings havo boon iooitod by othoi
14
authois.
Ma|oiity 25(6.5%) ol tho aionts whoso
chi l dion woio alloctod aio liom l ow
sociooconomic status withunskillod occuation.
1ho ooi sulloi moio liom hoaiing imaiimont
bocauso thoy cannot alloid tho iovontivo and
ioutino caio noodod to avoid hoaiing loss duo to
15
inloctions and othoi causos, thoy also cannot
alloid to buy hoaiing aids to mako tho disability
managoablo. Also ignoianco may contiibuto to
tho dolayod iosontation loi tioatmont in hoalth
lacilitios. Hoaiing imaiimont also makos it
moio dillicult loi thom to oscao ovoity by
hindoiing iogioss in school oi in tho woiklaco
and by isolating thom socially. Ioi somo
communitios, tho cost ol social oducation and
loss ol omloymont duo to hoaiing imaiimont
can luithoi causo a hugo buidon on tho
14,1
oconomy.
It is olton dillicult loi aionts to coo with
childion with chionic illnoss such as this. Ono ol
tho lamilios in tho study giou had two childion
with hoaiing imaiimont. 1ho causo ol this was
not ioadily idontiliod. Howovoi, it has boon
iooitod by authois that hoioditaiy and lamiliai
hoaiing loss may bo dillicult to ascoitain and is
almost coitainly gonotically dotoiminod duo
18,19
commonly to consanguinoous maiiiago.

RECOMMENDATIONANDCONCLUSION
Laily dotoction and tioatmont aio vital, but
iovontion ol disoasos that causo doalnoss
should bo omhasizod as it is choaoi otion
t han t ioat mont . 1ho i moit anco ol
immunization cannot bo ovoistiossod,
immunization camaigns against moaslos,
moningitis and mums which aio common
inloctivo causos ol hoaiing loss should bo
intonsiliod to luithoi ioduco tho incidonco. 1ho
ovidonco loi this is shown in tho immunization
iogiammo against moningococcal moningitis
in tho Gambia which has ioducod tho incidonco
15
ol doalnoss. Llloctivo antonatal and ionatal
caio will iovont tho disability as a iosult ol oaily
diagnosis. 1ho dangoi ol ototoxic diugs and local
hoibs takon duiing iognancy should bo
20
omhasizod as ait ol iovontivo moasuios.
Roloiiing |aundicod babios oaily loi diagnosis
and ossiblo tioatmont, ioducing oxosuio (both
occuational and iocioational) to loud noisos by
using oisonal iotoctivo dovicos and utting
onginooiing noiso contiol moasuio aio othoi
moans ol ioducing this ugly handicaing
condition. Socondaiy iovontion loi thoso who
aio not totally doal can bo dono with tho uso ol
hoaiing aids. Gono thoiay loi tho unboin and
21
othoi modalitios ol thoiay aio availablo.
Cochloai imlant is oxonsivo and out ol ioach
loi many ol tho alloctod childion in ^igoiia.
Woild Hoalth Oiganisation can iaiso awaionoss
about causos and costs ol hoaiing imaiimont
and tho ooitunitios loi iovontion, and
oncouiago countiios to ostablish national
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Childhood Hearing impairment: How do parents feel about it? - Frank-Briggs A. I.
The Nigerian Health Journal, Vol. 12, No 4 October December, 2012
12
iovontioniogiammo. 1his study is limitod by
tho small samlo sizo.
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