Evaluating Parenting Stress and Identifying Influential Factors in Caregivers of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Caregivers of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children often face unique challenges that significantly impact their parenting stress levels. These challenges can be amplified by various factors, which if not identified and addressed, can lead to increased stress and potential negative impacts on both the caregiver and child's well-being. It is therefore imperative to identify and understand these stressors specific to caregivers of DHH children and influential factors to provide effective support and interventions. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to develop the Chinese Family Stress Scale (CFSS), a tool specifically designed to assess parenting stress in caregivers of DHH children. It also sought to identify the key stressors and contributing factors that lead to heightened stress levels in these caregivers. METHODS This study was conducted online and involved 257 caregivers of DHH children aged 0-12 years. Participants completed the CFSS via an internet-based platform to assess their parenting stress levels. Factors such as speech intelligibility, oral language use, self-compassion, and social support were examined online for their influence on parenting stress. RESULTS The CFSS showed good reliability and validity, affirming its efficacy in assessing parenting stress among these caregivers. The study identified key stressors, including financial issues, discipline, education concerns, medical care, and safety. In addition, the study found that elevated parenting stress was significantly associated with poor speech intelligibility of the child, inadequate oral language use, negative aspects of self-compassion, and insufficient social support. This underscores the influence these factors have on the stress levels experienced by caregivers of DHH children. CONCLUSIONS The CFSS is an effective tool for assessing parenting stress in caregivers of DHH children. The study provides valuable insight into the factors that influence elevated parenting stress. It highlights the need for interventions to focus on improving children's communication skills, enhancing caregiver self-compassion, and bolstering social support networks. In doing so, it paves the way for more targeted and effective support for caregivers of DHH children, potentially reducing their stress levels and improving their overall quality of life.