Office of Sponsored Programs

Childhood maltreatment is a critical public health issue, with long-term adverse consequences for survivors and the communities they live in. Most definitions of child maltreatment in research include physical abuse, emotional (or psychological) abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect that occurs in childhood and is perpetuated by a parent or a caregiver. Currently, the literature on childhood maltreatment among Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind (DHHDB) people is scant. In what limited literature that exists, there appears to be evidence for traumas unique to the DHHDB experience, such as communication-related neglect. Yet, due to the lack of available information, there is a need for concentrated efforts to collect accurate and reliable data on childhood maltreatment among DHHDB people. To this end, the proposed research project will explore the validity of two existing measures of childhood experiences -- the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and the PROMIS-Deaf Profile: Early Life Communication Experience domain. At the conclusion of the study, there will be a proposed cultural adaption of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire for use with DHHDB people and recommendations for use of PROMIS-Deaf Profile to screen for communication-related neglect.