ERIC Number: EJ1320002
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jul
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1081-4159
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Navigating Deaf and Hearing Cultures: An Exploration of Deaf Acculturative Stress
Aldalur, Aileen; Pick, Lawrence H.; Schooler, Deborah
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, v26 n3 p299-313 Jul 2021
While there are many benefits of bilingualism and biculturalism, it is increasingly recognized that individuals may also experience acculturative stress as they navigate between different cultural environments. Acculturative stress results from struggles to acculturate, including pressures from the dominant culture and one's heritage culture to maintain specific languages, values, and customs. This study sought to explore experiences of acculturative stress among Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) adults. Thirteen ethnically and racially diverse DHH adults, aged 21-52, participated in semi-structured focus groups. Krueger's (1994) framework analysis was used to analyze the data. Participants reported pressures from the Hearing community as Hearing, Speaking, and English Pressures; Hearing Cultural Expectations; and Family Marginalization. Pressures from the Deaf community included ASL Pressures; Deaf Cultural Expectations; and Small Community Dynamics. Participants also discussed unique stressors related to their intersecting cultural identities (Intersectionality). The psychosocial impacts of acculturative stress included anger, anxiety, depression, exhaustion, resentment, and trauma. Coping resources were also discussed. Results highlight the saliency of acculturative stress among DHH adults and the need for continued investigations of the construct, particularly as it relates to mental health.
Descriptors: Hearing Impairments, Acculturation, Stress Variables, Cultural Influences, Biculturalism, Bilingualism, Language Maintenance, Social Values, Family Relationship, Expectation, Adults, Anxiety, Depression (Psychology), Fatigue (Biology), Trauma, Mental Health, Coping
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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