ORIGINAL ARTICLE
THE EFFECT OF HEARING LOSS ON THE SIBLING RELATIONSHIP
 
 
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Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Audiology and Speech Pathology Section, Ankara, Turkey
 
 
Publication date: 2011-06-30
 
 
J Hear Sci 2011;1(2):35-39
 
KEYWORDS
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ABSTRACT
Aim:
The aim of the study was to analyze the brother or sister bond in individuals whose siblings have hearing loss, and to see whether variables such as age, sex, age-difference of siblings, and family characteristic affected the relationship.

Material and Methods:
This study included 20 individuals who had normal-hearing siblings and 20 individuals who had hearing-impaired siblings. The latter were children and adolescents of the Training Unit of Hearing and Speaking Abilities at Hacettepe University, Department of ENT, Audiology and Speech Pathology Section, Turkey. The siblings in question were over 12 and had normal hearing. A ‘General Information Form’ was used to gather information about the individuals who participated in the study and their hearing-loss siblings; a ‘Sibling Relationship Questionnaire’ was used to gauge relationships between siblings.

Results:
In general, individuals having a sibling with hearing loss had considerably higher scores on the subscales warmth/ closeness and relative power/status than those having normal-hearing siblings (p<0.05). Likewise, individuals having normalhearing siblings had higher scores on the subscales “conflict” and “rivalry” than those in the other group (p<0.05).

Conclusions:
Existence of a hearing-impaired child in the family affects the sibling relationship. Growing up with a hearingimpaired sibling brings changes to the daily life of normal children. Individuals having a sibling with hearing loss have less conflict and rivalry and more intimacy/fondness in their sibling relationship. We infer that these children have developed an ability to help their siblings.

 
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