Finding an Effective Measure of Religiosity and Substance Use Levels for the Deaf: An Attempted Pilot Study

The Deaf often lack access to health-promoting services (Meador & Zazove, 2005), though they have an increased risk of developing substance use disorders (Hommes et al., 2018). Communication has been a prominent barrier to the accessibility of healthcare services and participation in research for the Deaf (McKee et al., 2012). Literature has shown multiple methodological challenges when conducting research with the Deaf (Napier et al., 2018). This pilot study used Jones et al.’s (2001) cross-cultural translation model to translate two measures into American Sign Language (ASL). Six bilingual experts in ASL and English translated the RSAS-5 and the TAPS into unstructured ASL Gloss. Due to the small sample size (n= 3), the analyses were not run. Instead, incidents that occurred are discussed from a qualitative perspective. This study suggests that a prominent barrier to conducting research with the Deaf is the lack of trust between hearing researchers and the Deaf.