Future anxiety is one of the most prominent psychological issues faced by female deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students. It directly affects psychological stability and trajectories in education and career. The present study aimed to identify the level of future anxiety and its dimensions, examine the factors influencing it, and explore the coping practices used to manage it among female hard-of-hearing (HOH) high school students in Saudi Arabia. Sequential explanatory design, a type of mixed-methods research, was employed in the study. Quantitative data were collected using a researcher-developed scale administered to 39 female HOH students to assess their levels of future anxiety and to identify the most prominent dimensions of future anxiety as indicated by the participants’ responses. Qualitative data were subsequently collected through individual in-depth interviews conducted with nine of the students who had completed the scale. Interview questions were designed to obtain deeper insights from this representative group regarding the factors affecting future anxiety and the coping mechanisms these students employ to deal with the future anxiety they experience. The quantitative findings guided the selection of the qualitative sample and informed the analysis in the qualitative phase; participants with the highest scores on the scale were purposefully recruited for the qualitative interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency, means, and standard deviation to examine the level of future anxiety and its key dimensions. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative results revealed these participants exhibit a high level of future anxiety, with academic anxiety being the most prevalent dimension. Five subthemes of factors influencing future anxiety were identified in the qualitative data, which were psychological and social, linguistic, family, educational, and economic. The results also revealed this population employs certain coping practices to manage their future anxiety, which include faith in and reliance on God, researching and exploring future opportunities, making decisions at the right time, developing self-confidence and self-esteem, engaging in positive distraction, and receiving family and social support. Strengthening coping strategies was found to play a pivotal role in mitigating future anxiety and promoting resilience among female HOH students in Saudi high schools. In particular, enhancing psychological support, family involvement, and educational guidance may help these students better manage concerns about academic and career futures, and improve their overall emotional well-being and sense of security regarding the future.
Nourah Ibrahim Albash (Wed,) studied this question.