Office of Sponsored Programs

Deaf and Hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals of all ages may be at higher risk of experiencing language deprivation and neglect, along with other forms of abuse and neglect (Schenkel et al., 2014; Anderson et al., 2017). It is especially challenging for DHH individuals and caregivers of DHH youth to seek trauma-informed treatments that are both evidence-based practices and accessible in their preferred language. The focus of this study is the parent’s disclosure of the traumatic experiences of their DHH child and to identify the protective factors for the DHH child. This is a qualitative study and will be using semi-structured interviews to learn more about the phenomenon of parent’s lived experiences while coping with their child’s traumatic experience(s). This study will explore the unique stressors that parent(s) or caregiver(s)’ experience as a parent of a DHH child who experienced trauma, and how clinicians can support the parents in the disclosure of their child’s trauma history.