Poster #175 - Deaf Cultural Socialization as a Predictor of Deaf Cultural Identity, Self-Esteem, and Satisfaction with Life.

• In Event: 2-163 - Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Section - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Integrative Statement

Deaf identity research demonstrates that many deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) individuals come to identify with and belong to the Deaf cultural community by adulthood, and that developing a Deaf cultural identity is associated with positive outcomes, such as self-esteem and satisfaction with life (Bat-Chava, 1993; Glickman, 1993; Hintermair, 2008). Studies of ethnic and racial identity development find that parental engagement in cultural socialization predicts child cultural identity development and other positive psychosocial outcomes (Hughes et al., 2006; Neblett et al., 2009), even when parents do not share the child’s birth culture, such as in the case when parents adopt children from different racial, ethnic, or national backgrounds (Lee, 2003). Applying these findings to the parents of d/hh children, this study examines parents’ engagement in Deaf cultural socialization, or the process by which parents transmit messages to children regarding the importance and meaning of the Deaf culture and membership in the Deaf community and the extent to which such socialization might predict cultural identity and psychosocial outcomes.

Emerging adults who are d/hh (N=401; Mage=21.9) completed an online survey assessing their retrospective reports of Deaf cultural socialization received in childhood with the newly developed Deaf Cultural Socialization Scale (DCSS; Cronbach’s alpha=.846-.971; Husting, in progress). The DCSS measures three domains of socialization: Overt (e.g. talking with child about Deaf culture), Covert (e.g. modeling engagement in the Deaf community), and Minority socialization (e.g. teaching how to cope with discrimination related to being deaf). The DCSS scores were used to predict several aspects of Deaf cultural identity development measured with the Deaf Acculturation Scale (Maxwell-McCaw & Zea, 2011) and other psychosocial outcomes measured with the Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1989), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (depression and anxiety; Kroenke, Spitzer, Williams, & Löwe, 2009).

Table 1 demonstrates that deaf and hearing parents engaged equally and moderately in Overt, Minority, and Overall Deaf cultural socialization. Deaf parents engaged in more Covert socialization than hearing parents (F=4.779; p=.029).

Linear Regression analyses (see Table 2) indicate that Overt, Covert, Minority, and overall Deaf cultural socialization each predicted all indices of Deaf cultural identity. The Deaf cultural socialization subscales also predicted self-esteem and satisfaction with life but did not predict anxiety and depression.

These results indicate that the predictive relationship between cultural socialization and cultural identity and psychosocial outcomes found in the ethnic-racial literature generalizes to the Deaf culture. It supplies evidence that parents of d/hh children are promoting Deaf cultural identity development, positive self-esteem, and satisfaction with life by engaging in overt, covert, and minority socialization. Implications may include educating parents and professionals regarding the benefits of cultural socialization. These results also suggest a need for interventions or support resources being offered to hearing parents to promote covert socialization strategies.

Authors

• Macrae Husting, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee
  Presenting Author

• Jacqueline Nguyen, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  Non-Presenting Author