Evaluation of the Psycho‐emotional Factor in a Group of Children with Auditive Disabilities

Introduction. Approaching of patients with general and, mainly, auditive disabilities requires specific methods of behavioural and therapeutical management, on short‐, medium‐ and long‐term period. Scope. Quantification of the psycho‐emotional reactions of childern suffering from auditive disabilities in the stomatological office, compara‐ tively with those with normal keenness of hearing. Mate‐ rials and method. The experiments were performed on a group of 207 children, with the limit of chronological age between 6 ‐ 11 years, 120 of them registered with auditive disabilities and 87 – with normal keeness of hearing. The Raven Test of Progressive Matrices and the questionnaire were employed as investigation methods. Results. The mean age of the subjects considered in the study was of 9 years, with a standard deviation of 1.4. A statistically sig‐ nificant association was established between the moment of their addressing the stomatologist and the presence of the auditive-type disability (r=0.87, p=0.00321, 95%CI). Most of the children (69%) with normal keenness of hea‐ ring come to the stomatological office alone, only rarely being accompanied by friends or parents, whereas those with sensorial auditive disabilities are usually accompa‐ nied by parents, professors or educators (67.5%). Discus‐ sion. Explanations on the stomatological treatment to be applied, details on its stages may prepare an adequate reaction from the part of the child‐patient. The statistically significant differences observed, as a function of their audi‐ tive disabilities, among the accompanied children may be explained exactly by this situation, causing in itself a higher dependence and need of support from the part of the others, especially for exceeding the barriers that may prevent a normal communication. Conclusions. An adequate approaching of the child – affected or not with auditive disabilities – may model his attitudes and beha‐ viour during the visit to the stomatological office.