Parental values in the decision about cochlear implantation.
Parents of children who are deaf are required to make decisions shortly after diagnosis that will affect the child's method of communication and educational placement. This study examines the role of parental values and preferences in this decision making process. Twenty families with a deaf child participated in this study. Parents from 19 of these families completed a multi-attribute preference study, which assesses their preference for different outcomes in four domains, i.e. academic achievement, social life, communication, and emotional well being. In ten of these families, the child had received a cochlear implant. Results indicate wide variability in parental preferences, which do not appear to correlate with the parents' decisions to choose cochlear implantation. Interview data from the study provides some insight into the parents' motivations. The small size of the study limits further analysis of factors that influence parents' choices and suggests further study with larger numbers of families.
Steinberg
A
A
The Deafness and Family Communication Center, Department of Psychiatry, The Children's Seashore House of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3405 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104 4388, USA.
Brainsky
A
A
Bain
L
L
Montoya
L
L
Indenbaum
M
M
Potsic
W
W
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019929:Cochlear Implantation; D003625:Data Collection; D003638:Deafness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D018570:Risk Assessment