[Dance projects as an integral part of CI rehabilitation and their impact on mental health: a pilot study]. / Tanzprojekte als integraler Bestandteil der CI-Rehabilitation und ihr Stellenwert für die psychische Gesundheit: Eine Pilotstudie.

BACKGROUND: Alongside improvements in hearing and communication skills, the rehabilitation of children, adolescents and adults with a cochlear implant (CI) in recent years has increasingly taken into account mental health and quality of life issues. In the context of the programs offered, this study assesses the significance of dance for the mental health of adult clients with a CI. METHODS: Eleven adult CI users participated in a dance project, which took place as a cooperation between the ENT University Hospital Heidelberg and the Baden State Theatre Karlsruhe. Participants were questioned at two different time points for assessment with the mental health scales (SPG). These scales measure seven different aspects of psychosocial well-being (including autonomy, willpower, affirmation of life and meaningfulness). RESULTS: Significant positive changes in the domains of affirmation of life, self-reflection and social integration were revealed by before and after comparisons; tendencies toward positive change were observed (p ≤ 0.10) in the domains of willpower, naturalness and meaningfulness. No changes were observed in the autonomy domain. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the mental health of adult clients with a CI can be strengthened by dance as a complementary rehabilitation module. Concepts of CI rehabilitation should increasingly find anchor in the consideration of such arrangements for its range of offers.

[Pregnant women's expectations concerning universal newborn hearing screening]. / Erwartungen werdender Mütter an das Neugeborenen-Hörscreening.

BACKGROUND: To implement universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) for maximum effectiveness, it is necessary - in addition to implementing a reliable screening procedure when testing the child - to consider psycho-social factors relevant in this context. In this respect parental estimations and expectancies play an important role. METHOD: In a questionnaire survey 187 expectant mothers were asked about their knowledge and attitudes concerning UNHS, and their expectations concerning the availability of concrete support if their child were to have positive test results at the primary postnatal screening. A self-developed scale was conducted asking the mothers to make statements regarding their attitude about UNHS, possible risks (parent-child relationship, stress experiences) as well as concrete expectations concerning support (counseling, contacts with other persons concerned, informative literature). RESULTS: The results show that the expectant mothers in this study expressed high approval for conducting UNHS. This is comparable with results from former studies. In addition, as many as a quarter of the expectant mothers expressed worries relating to the effects on the parent-child relationship and higher parental stress levels. In nearly all areas investigated, at least half of the expectant mothers said that providing targeted support if necessary is important to help them cope sufficiently with the challenges associated with the consequences of UNHS. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate the importance of a reliable tracking system as required by the guidelines for using UNHS to detect children's hearing loss at an early stage. The data suggest that in order to use UNHS responsible, consultations should be offered immediately to affected families. This would allow parents to have psycho-social support available as the need arises to cope with the primary screening results; further, this support should help parents learn about other family-centered support services such as case management.

Hearing impairment, social networks, and coping: the need for families with hearing-impaired children to relate to other parents and to hearing-impaired adults.

For a report on the stress experiences of parents with hearing-impaired children in Germany, 317 parents completed a survey on how their families communicate and socialize, among other issues. The report focuses on how contacts with other parents and with hearing-impaired adults affect stress experiences, in the context of the child's hearing status and the means of communication. Parents who frequently meet with other parents show evidence of a warm, accepting, trusting relationship with their child. Parents who have many contacts with hearing-impaired adults show evidence of a strong sense of competence in regard to their child's upbringing. The findings confirm the implication found in most reports describing empirical studies. Social support is to be regarded as a cornerstone of psychosocial intervention and has to play as great a role as possible in institutional programs.