ABSTRACT Acquired hearing loss occurs when one loses their hearing postlingually. The condition is increasing as the world's population ages and is also increasing in younger adults as well. Little quantitative data is available on how hearing loss affects spouses' or partners' intimate relationships. Thus, the focus of this study is to explore how hearing loss affects spouses' marital adjustment. Eighty-two couples participated and couple members individually completed surveys that provided the data for this quantitative study. The statistical method used was stepwise multiple regression. The study variables were: degree of hearing loss, sudden versus gradual loss, spouses' personality, perceived social support, and spouses' marital adjustment. Use of assistive technology was tested as a moderator of the relationship between the degree of hearing loss and spouses' marital adjustment. Also, perceived social support was tested as a mediator of the relationships between degree of hearing loss, sudden versus gradual loss, spouses' personality, and marital adjustment. Perceived social support was the most significant predictor of spouses' marital adjustment and predicted higher levels of marital adjustment. Presence of children in the home was significantly associated with lower levels of marital adjustment. While use of assistive technology significantly predicted spouses' marital adjustment, it was not found to moderate the relationship between degree of hearing loss and spouses' marital adjustment. Perceived social support was found to mediate the relationships between openness and marital adjustment and conscientiousness and marital adjustment but not for the degree of hearing loss, sudden versus gradual loss, agreeableness, emotional stability, or extraversion. Implications for clinical practice are also presented. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2014. / July 8, 2014. / Effects of hearing loss, Hearing loss, Marital adjustment, Marital adjustment following hearing loss, Spouses' marital adjustment / Includes bibliographical references. / B. Kay Pasley, Professor Directing Dissertation; Carla Wood Jackson, University Representative; Marsha L. Rehm, Committee Member; Robert E. Lee, III, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_254475 |
| Contributors | Mills, Lilbourne I. (authoraut), Pasley, B. Kay (professor directing dissertation), Jackson, Carla Wood (university representative), Rehm, Marsha L. (committee member), Lee, Robert E. (committee member), Department of Family and Child Sciences (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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