Loneliness, emotional autonomy and self-concept in adolescents with cochlear implants

A significant number of studies demonstrated that children with severe to profound deafness are at risk of producing delays in terms of communication, cognitive and social-emotional adjustment, which can be also associated to psychological suffering and loneliness. The use of a cochlear implant (CI) can be an additional obstacle for personal acceptance, especially during adolescence. Nonetheless contrasting results emerged about the impact of the CI in the adolescent's life quality, especially as regards physical well-being and psychological satisfaction. The aim of the present study is to assess self-esteem, emotional autonomy, and loneliness in adolescents with CIs, focusing on the role of individual (age at CI activation) and contextual variables (quality of hospitalization experience). The participants were 29 adolescents with CIs (CI group) and 29 typically developing peers (TD group) aged between 12 to 20 years individually matched for age, gender and socio-economic status. The Italian versions of the Emotional Autonomy Scale (Steinberg & Silverberg, 1986), the Loneliness and Aloneness Scale for Children and Adolescents (Marcoen, Goossens, & Caes, 1987), and the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Test (Bracken, 2003) were administered to each participant. Data analyses showed that adolescents with CIs displayed significantly higher loneliness and lower aversion to aloneness compared to participants in the TD group. Analyses also displayed that individuals who received the CI during preschool period displayed higher body self-esteem than adolescents who received the CI after six years of age, and parent’s support is related to positive emotional experience at the hospital. Results showed that socio-emotional well-being of adolescents with CIs is affected both by individual and contextual variables.