Mental Health issues in the profoundly and severely deaf population: Psychological and Physiological interaction

Nelson, Vanessa (2014) Mental Health issues in the profoundly and severely deaf population: Psychological and Physiological interaction. Manchester Metropolitan University. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

The study qualitatively explores insight into everyday life, access to help and coping mechanisms of profoundly and severely deaf individuals also encompassing a psychological disorder from a professional or direct stance. As such individuals are somewhat excluded from qualitative methodology, with most psychological investigations favouring numerical data, the research allows subjective interpretation into the target areas from an individualistic perspective. Utilising a phenomenological approach, in the form of Interpretative Phenomenological analysis, lived experiences could be analysed through the semi-structured interviewing of five participants with substantial knowledge into mental health and deafness. Themes derived from the data reflected reoccurrences in lifestyle presented as; Everyday life, Therapeutic interventions and Education incorporated with the subthemes; Language, coping mechanisms, social relationships and emotional implications. The findings suggest language is a primordial factor influencing all aspects of everyday life, impinging on social relationships, educational achievement and access to services. It is concluded that vital changes are needed in the education system and mental health services to promote mental wellbeing along with the overarching need for additional services to be available for the pre-lingual population.