EXAMINATION OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH HEARING LOSS AND THEIR SIBLINGS WITH NORMAL HEARING BASED ON THE DEGREE OF HEARING LOSS

Material and Methods: A total of 100 participants, 50 children with hearing loss and 50 siblings with normal hearing between the ages of 2-18, were included in the study. In the first stage of the research, hearing evaluation (pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry and free field measurement) was performed on the child participants. In the second stage, the Children's Quality of Life Scale (PedsQL) was administered to all participants.

Results: It was determined that there was no statistically significant difference between the total scale scores of children with hearing loss and their siblings with normal hearing on the PedsQL scale (p>0.05). According to the scale sub-dimensions, there is no statistically significant difference between the physical health and psychosocial health total scores of children with hearing loss and their hearing siblings (p>0.05). It is seen that there is no statistically significant difference between the scale total score (STP), physical health total score (FSTP) and psychosocial health total score (PSTP) according to the degree of hearing loss of children with hearing loss and their siblings (p>0.05). Participants with hearing loss It is observed that there is no statistically significant relationship between special education periods, hearing loss diagnosis ages, hearing aid ages, cochlear implant ages, cochlear implant usage times and hearing aid usage times and the OTP, FSTP, PSTP scores of the participants with hearing loss (p>0.05).

Conclusion: It was determined that the degree of hearing loss did not have a significant effect on the quality of life of individuals with hearing loss and their siblings with normal hearing. It has been found that the quality of life of individuals with hearing loss and their siblings with normal hearing is similar. Keywords : Hearing loss, life quality, hearing aids