Alcohol use research involving deaf and hard-hearing individuals and the college student population is limited. Of the preexisting literature on this population, data found that alcohol use among deaf and hard-hearing individuals ranges from 33-75% compared to 56% of hearing people. Studies have suggested that alcohol use among the two groups is similar, but people who are deaf or hard of hearing tend to drink higher amounts when they do use. Researchers have found that deaf and hard-of-hearing college students report higher consequences when they partake in alcohol use. This study examines the student perceptions and experiences of alcohol use among deaf and hard-of-hearing college students.
This study consists of 24 students at Gallaudet University. All participants were full-time students, ages 21 and older, living on campus at the time of the survey, and deaf or hard of hearing. This was a qualitative case study in which interviews were conducted. The interviews were offered in American Sign Language or English. Risk behaviors, protective behaviors, adverse childhood experiences, communication barriers, lack of incidental learning, social isolation, parental influence, peer influences, and alcohol-related harms were assessed throughout the interviews. An increased insight could be gained by examining additional dynamics of an individual’s experience.
The results of this study found that there are many parallels between college students and deaf and hard-hearing college students’ experiences with alcohol and related harms. There are additional factors, such as communication barriers, which result in impacting isolation, coping, and belonging that deaf and hard-of-hearing students undergo when it comes to alcohol use. These findings fuel further research on the associations between communication and alcohol use to help address this issue. Colleges and universities should focus on isolation and communication barrier prevention efforts to help reduce rates of alcohol-related harm for all individuals but especially within the deaf and hard-hearing community.
Takeaway: Deaf and hard-of-hearing college students experience additional factors such as communication barriers, which result in impacting isolation, coping, and belonging, which lead to more negative alcohol use-related consequences.