Post-traumatic growth experiences of parents of children with congenital deafness: a qualitative study

Abstract Background Hearing disability is the most common of the five major disabilities in China, and hearing disability seriously affects human health and quality of life. A child's diagnosis of deafness is an intensely traumatic event for parents, who have to bear multiple pressures and burdens in the process of caring for their child. However, it is crucial for parents to draw good meanings from the traumatic incident and to create new insights into life, which is important for their own physical and mental health and that of their child. Methods Using purposive sampling, 15 parents of congenitally deaf children admitted to the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery of a tertiary-level hospital in Hefei City from April to July 2023 were selected for semi-structured interviews, and Colaizzi's seven-step analysis method was applied to analyze the data and refine the themes. Results Six main themes and fourteen sub-themes were summarized in this study: (1) changes in outlook on life, (2) enhancement of health concepts, (3) increased personal strength, (4) change in relationships with others, (5) perceived social support, and (6) positive coping styles. Conclusion Parents of children with congenital deafness can experience multifaceted growth in the process of caregiving. Medical staff should pay full attention to the psychological experience of parents of children with congenital deafness, explore their strengths and potentials, increase the degree of social support, and promote coping positively with the level of post-traumatic growth, to enhance the quality of care and the rehabilitation effect of the children.