Background: Parenting
a child with hearing impairment goes beyond ordinary
parenting role. Having a child
with hearing impairment is a critical incident that is often
associated with unpleasant and
stressful experience for families particularly mothers. Thus,
mothers must cope with many changing demands related to their children's specific needs.
Aim: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between obstacles experienced by
mothers of children with hearing impairment and their coping strategies. Design and method:
A descriptive correlational research design was used in this study. The study was conducted
at the Hearing Impairment Center of the Egyptian Association for Children Protection in
Damanhur. A convenient sample of 150 mothers of children with HI whose age ranged from
2 to 6 years were included in the study. Children who had chronic illness such as mental
retardation, diabetes and other sensory or motor impairments were excluded. Results: It was
found a significant, positive and strong correlation between emotion-focused coping and
psychological obstacles (r = 0.614, P = 0.012). Moreover, a significant, positive and
moderate correlation was noticed between problem-focused coping and communication
obstacles (r=0.466 and P=0.001). Conclusion: Child discipline and communication barriers
were the most obstacles perceived by mothers having children with HI. Moreover, the most
frequent coping strategies used by those mothers were of emotion-focused coping. There was
significant, positive and strong correlation between emotion-focused coping and
psychological obstacles. In addition, significant, positive and moderate correlation was found
between problem-focused coping and communication obstacles.