Adverse childhood experiences, stress impact, and well-being in deaf and hard of hearing adolescents and adolescents with developmental language disorders in special secondary education

Abstract

Many deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) adolescents and adolescents with developmental language disorders (DLD) face communication problems (CP) that may increase their vulnerability to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs have been shown to affect physical and mental health, and in particular, the accumulation of ACEs is associated with high stress levels, which can have detrimental effects on well-being. This study examined the prevalence of ACEs and their impact on stress and well-being in adolescents with CP (DHH, DLD) compared to a reference group.127 adolescents with CP (32 DHH adolescents and 95 adolescents with DLD) in special secondary education were compared to a reference group of 86 adolescents in mainstream secondary education. T-tests, chi-square tests, and proportion tests were used to compare all groups on ACEs, stress impact, and well-being. A mediation analysis tested the indirect effect of stress on the relationship between ACEs and well-being. Adolescents with CP reported significantly more (accumulations of) ACEs (p