Mental Health and Deafness
Presented on 5 June 2008
Understanding factors that affect the well-being of deaf young people
Shanée Buxton
What is happening?
A model used in mental health to explain why difficulties emerge in some people and not others is the 'stress-vulnerability model'.
What vulnerabilities may affect people?
- Genetic factors eg; Cystic Fibrosis
- Environmental factors eg; Chernobyl
- Birth complications eg; Cerebral Palsy
- Additional learning difficulties eg; Autism
- Deafness could be classified as a vulnerability
What stressors do deaf young people experience?
- Physical and mental well-being
- Social
- Emotional
- Cultural
- Environmental
- Language
- Self-esteem
Physical and mental well-being
- Abuse: physical, sexual, neglect and emotional
- Access to information re maintaining physical well-being and to primary health care, eg; GPs
Stressors to cultural and religious influences
Environmental stressors
- War
Mental well-being, eg; PTSD and breaking of attachment
physical well-being - Access to services varies - dependent upon status (not aware of what's available) and the 'postcode lottery'
- Social status - refugee, housing, material goods, benefits, opportunity, experience etc.
Language
Lack of access to language and developmental experience, can affect:
- Cognitive development
Impact on brain development
Impact on scaffolding (Vygotsky)
Delays/vulnerability in consequential thinking - Metacognitive development
Delays or vulnerabilities in understanding other people's perspective - 'Theory of Mind' - Emotional development
Limited emotional understanding/emotional regulation/empathy
Self-esteem
The development of self starts to occur during the 2nd and 3rd year of life, in the context of social interactions and relationships
Self-esteem expresses the attitude of approval or disapproval, and indicates the extent to which the individual believes himself to be capable, significant, successful and worthy. Coopersmith (1967)
Low self-esteem
Impact on functioning in all areas (eg; relationships, learning, etc.):
- Expect to fail
- Don't try
- Give up easily
- Don't acknowledge success – reject/ can't see
- Negative self-talk
- Unable to ask for help
- Self-fulfilling cycle
How can we address these stressors and improve the well-being of the deaf young people in our care?
When should we be thinking of asking for help from other agencies?
- Dangerous behaviour
- Suicidal, self-harm, harming others
- Failure to develop, eg; physical, cognitive and language
- Further assessment for developmental delays, autism, specific language difficulties
- Externalising behaviour
- Aggressive behaviour, noncompliance
- Internalising
- Those who are not a 'management problem' often get left, but monitor: change in behaviours/mood, withdrawing, change in appetite and sleep