Interpersonal Violence and Trauma Among Adults and Children in the D(d)eaf and Hard-of-Hearing Population

As providers, cultural competence remains a crucial part of our ethical obligation in treating clients. One population of minimal and research and consideration in multiple domains is the D(d)eaf and hard of hearing population in the mental health field, particularly in interpersonal violence and trauma. The consensus of current and past research and study results indicates that this population experiences victimization rates at roughly 2x higher than the hearing population, which includes domestic and sexual violence. Among the current research there is agreement in risk factors and barriers that increase vulnerability of this population such as limited access to quality education, language deprivation, lack of services and/or access to services, and socioeconomic barriers. This presentation explores current available research of interpersonal violence and trauma amongst D(d)eaf and hard of hearing adults and children including statistical results, risks, barriers, red flags, and types of interpersonal violence; cultural factors and general information regarding this population; and considerations for treatment of this population. *As the instructor is deaf, close captioning will be enabled during this presentation.*