Parental perspectives on the quality of life of children with cochlear implants

Cochlear implants are revolutionary devices that have improved various areas of the life of young children to a great extent. Cochlear implantation in North Macedonia began in 2007, but little information exists regarding the quality of life of the children who have received these devices. The current study was designed to measure and compare parents’ perceptions of the quality of life in children with cochlear implants across seven core domains: communication, child support, general functioning, well-being, self-esteem, social relations, and education. To address this aim, a short and adapted version of the Children with Cochlear Implants: Parental Perspectives (CCIP) tool was utilised, with responses obtained from 51 parents of children with cochlear implants. The results showed that all seven domains were ranked within the expected average, with higher performance in the social relations and self-reliance domains. Statistical analyses showed statistically significant associations between parents’ income and the well-being and communication domains (p < 0.05). Additionally, the mode of communication used by the children (verbal, signed, or simultaneous) was presented as a predictor variable, with a statistically significant difference in the communication domain (p < 0.01), as well as in the social relations, well-being and happiness, and education domains (at p < 0.05). Furthermore, the level of education of the parents affected the results, where parents who had a bachelor’s degree performed higher in the social relations and education domains compared to parents who had only primary education (at p < 0.05). The findings underscore the need for further research involving larger participant groups to better understand these associations and inform future interventions.