Hearing loss is a common and completely natural occurrence, especially as people age: about 15% of American adults suffer from it. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma attached to hearing loss in society. It is not only perpetuated by adverts or the public, but also largely by individuals suffering from the condition themselves.
Stigma and Self-Perception
The factors involved in the way hearing loss stigma affects individuals on the deafness spectrum’s perception of self are complex and various.
According to a study conducted by Margaret I. Wallhagen, Ph.D., many people suffering from hearing impairment tend to fixate on the contrast between their former self and their current self (“whole versus not whole, able versus disabled, and smart versus cognitively impaired”). This pushes them to avoid visiting a specialist, receiving a diagnosis, and obtaining appropriate hearing aids.
Ageism also plays a significant role in this: since hearing loss is often associated with aging, wearing a hearing aid can sometimes serve as an uncomfortable reminder for people that they are getting older.
How Does the Deaf Stigma Impact Individuals With Hearing Loss?
Research has shown that hard-of-hearing individuals experience poorer mental health as compared to people with normal hearing and that there is a high possibility this is due to the social marginalization they experience.
Although concrete data regarding the current prevalence of mental health issues in Americans on the deafness spectrum is disturbingly sparse, according to one research from 1996, 40,000 deaf and 2 million hard-of-hearing individuals in the United States at that time were suffering from a form of severe mental illness.
Unfortunately, as most people tend to be highly influenced by the opinions of others around them, the fear of marginalization can prevent them from seeking medical help and adequate treatment for their hearing loss. Postponing treatment may result in their condition becoming more serious. In this way, stigma affects the hearing-impaired not only psychologically, but also physically.
Battling the Stigma
The most important factor in battling the stigma attached to hearing loss is education. When people learn about deafness, they start realising that treatment should be and is socially acceptable. What is more, they realise that treatment can significantly improve the lives of the impacted individuals, reduce mental health issues, and allow them to live a full, independent life.
In addition to battling the stigma in society, it is important to also address the self-stigma that people affected by deafness experience. There are rehabilitation programs available that can help with this, such as informational counselling, cognitive-behavior therapy, or self-efficacy training in the form of interacting with people suffering from the same impairment.
Seeking Help
As reported by Johns Hopkins, although almost 27 million Americans aged 50 or older suffer from hearing loss, only one in seven uses a hearing aid, so if you have been avoiding booking a hearing test for a while, you are most definitely not alone. However, the best way to fight the stigma and ensure your mental and physical well-being is to seek professional help so that you can receive an accurate diagnosis and adequate treatment as soon as possible.
Modern hearing aids are designed to be incredibly discreet and can provide you with various amazing features such as high-quality speech discrimination even with background noise present, health data tracking, connectivity to various devices, and many more.
Furthermore, there are various hearing assistive devices available that can massively improve your quality of life.
If you are ready to take a stand against stigma and focus on your well-being, why not take a look at our wonderful range of assistive listening devices? Click here to browse our shop today and discover a whole new world of products that have the power to completely transform the way in which you interact with the world!
