To tell or not to tell? Exploring the social process of stigma for adults with hearing loss and their families: introduction to the special issue

Objective: Stigma has long been implicated as a reason why adults with acquired hearing loss are slow to seek help and for sub-optimal uptake of hearing devices. However, the field has not developed a comprehensive understanding of why stigma occurs, nor has it related this comprehensive knowledge to a theoretical framework. 

Design: This special issue presents results from a two-phase, multi-method study to systematically investigate how stigma is experienced by adults with hearing loss and their families, how they manage it in everyday life, and how these experiences relate to the decision to wear hearing aids. 

Study Sample: Phase 1 of the study involved 20 dyads of adults with hearing loss and their family members. Phase 2 involved 331 adults with hearing loss and 313 family members. 

Results: Results of the study are presented in each of the subsequent papers that are part of this special issue. Results are mapped onto the Major and O’Brien model of stigma-induced identity threat in each paper. 

Conclusions: This paper provides an introduction to the Special Issue and describes the methods for the overall study that is the focus of the papers within the issue.