Abstract:
Hearing loss may lead to diverse consequences that
affect an individual’s quality of life. Parents with children who
have any form of impairment bear the burden of providing
effective care and support and this results to cases where they
feel overwhelmed, disappointed and detached. The purpose of
this study was to assess the family functioning on psychological
well-being of parents raising children with hearing impairment
in Kericho County, Kenya. The study was guided by the
McMaster Model Family Functioning (MMFF) theory and it also
reviewed the Family Systems theory and Olson Annular theory.
Survey research design was used in the study. The target
population of the study was 708 participants involving parents of
children with hearing impairment and children with hearing
impairment from Kericho County with a sample size 70
respondents including; parents and their children with hearing
impairments. Data was collected using questionnaires. The
findings of the study showed that communication patterns,
affective responsiveness, problem-solving impacted on the
wellbeing of participants. The study recommends that there
should be common language for both the parents and children
with hearing impairment in order to enhance effective
communication hence parents to learn the Sign Language, to
enable them communicate well with their children. The parents
should learn how to express their affection to the child with
hearing impairment and convey true feelings for their children
with ease. Parents should involve children with hearing
impairment in the problem solving process in issues that affect
them directly. Parents should communicate the expected
behaviour and be explicit about consequences that come along
with non-compliance.
