title: Adult-children's perspectives on a parent's hearing impairment and its impact on their relationship and communication.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to describe third-party disability experienced by adult-children as a result of hearing impairment (HI) in a parent.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using semi-structured interviews, participants were asked to describe the impact of a parent's HI on their relationship and communication. Interpretative phenomenological analysis, a qualitative method to explore participant's perceptions and viewpoints, was used as the method of analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve participants between the ages of 22 and 58 who each had a parent with confirmed HI who owned hearing aids.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Within the contextual factors of family relationships, communication situations, and the parent's personality, adult-children considered their coping strategies and feelings that arose as a result of the HI. Coping strategies included putting forth effort in communication, yelling as an ineffective communication strategy, and providing support to the parent with HI. The described feelings included frustration, uncertainty, and loss surrounding their communication and relationship with their parent with HI. These feelings arose as a result of implementing coping strategies, plus these feelings drove the employment of coping strategies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adult-children of parents with HI experience third-party disability, however, the participation restrictions and activity limitations experienced by children appear less than experienced by spouses.
authors.affiliation: a * University of Louisville, School of Medicine , Louisville , USA.
authors.forename: Jill E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Preminger
authors.affiliation: b Weill Cornell Medical College , New York , USA.
authors.forename: Joseph J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Montano
authors.affiliation: c National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark , Copenhagen , Denmark.
authors.forename: Tine
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tjørnhøj-Thomsen
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006311:Hearing Disorders; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007629:Kentucky; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010465:Perception; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities; D036301:Qualitative Research; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Hearing impairment; communication partners; psychosocial effects; qualitative research