Adverse Childhood Experiences Among d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons: Risks and Protective Factors

Very few studies have examined the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the d/Deaf and hard of hearing community. To bridge this gap, this study surveyed 81 d/Deaf and hard of hearing adult participants who were diagnosed with hearing loss before the age of 10. The study’s aims were to examine ACEs, measured by a standardized ACE inventory and d/Deaf-specific adversity items, and their impact on adult mental and physical well-being, to improve our understanding of childhood adversity within and across groups by hearing status. Additionally, we examined protective factors that may shield individuals from adversity, in the form of resilience and Deaf community participation, and its connection to ACEs and adult well-being. We found relationships between experiences of childhood adversity and all current life outcomes measured with three subscales of the Medical Outcomes SF-36 Scale: emotional well-being, health-related quality of life, and energy/fatigue. Echoing previous studies, our results also document a higher prevalence of ACEs among d/Deaf individuals, showing that 14% of our participants reported 4 or more “traditional” ACEs, a rate more than doubled compared to a nationally representative sample studied by Fellitti et al. (1998). Additionally, our findings suggested that social support from friends and family around hearing loss, involvement in the Deaf community, and resilience, measured as posttraumatic growth, promoted better health-related outcomes, even when controlling for childhood adversity.