Assessing post-cochlear implantation anxiety and correlating it to socio-demographic and clinical characteristics

Abstract

Background: There is a greater incidence of mental health problems among children with hearing impairment compared to controls. A high proportion of children with hearing impairment experience delays in understanding, recognizing, and using emotional expression. There are additional difficulties in post-cochlear transplant patients that may increase the risk of developing psychopathology, such as anxiety disorder. Results: Forty mothers of children who underwent cochlear implantation surgery responded to the Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale. Socio-demographic, medical, and perioperative data of children were obtained from medical records. On the Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale, 21 out of 40 children (52.25%) have a positive total score. On obsessive–compulsive disorder, physical injury fears, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, and social anxiety subscales, the numbers of children who scored positive are 23 (57.5%), 18 (45%), 18 (45%), 10 (25%), and 6 (15%), respectively. Conclusion: Anxiety disorders are common in post-cochlear transplant children.