The Role of Socioeconomic Factors on Cochlear Implantation

Early identification and intervention have repeatedly demonstrated better outcomes for children who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing in many areas, including language and reading. Research supports the idea that, for children who receive cochlear implants (CI), better language performance after implantation is often associated with socioeconomic factors, specifically, parents’ education level and income (Cejas et al, 2021, Sharma et al, 2017). Specifically, the higher the parent’s education level and family income, the better speech and language performance after cochlear implantation (Sharma et al, 2017).  

Recently, researchers from the Republic of Korea completed a study with a unique twist on this idea. They retrospectively studied 109 children who received CI and had support from the Cochlear Implant Donation Program (CIDP), which funds all expenses related to the CI (exams, outpatient visits, hospitalization, surgery, four-year language rehab program through a third party). Essentially, the financial barrier for these families was removed.

Data collected and analyzed included age at implantation, sex, family monthly household income, parental education level, dual or single parent family, and rural or urban residence. 

Results revealed that monthly household income, previously identified as a prognostic factor, had no significant effect on speech and language development after CI surgery. Even more importantly, results revealed the importance of familial factors even when language rehabilitation was provided at no cost to the family. Language development after CI surgery was better if there was a two-parent household and a higher parental education level. Finally, the study also demonstrated that the higher the mother’s education level, the younger the child at the time of the first CI surgery.

References  

Cejas, I., Mitchell, C.M., Barker, D.H., Sarangoulis, C., Eisenberg, L., Quittner, A. (2021). Parenting stress, self-efficacy, and involvement: effects on spoken language ability three years after cochlear implantation. Otology & Neurotology, 42(10S), S11-S18.

Lee, C., Son, S. E., Moon, I. J., Chung, W. H., Cho, Y. S., Hong, S. H., & Cho, Y. S. (2025). The role of socioeconomic factors and third-party support in language development for children with cochlear implants. Scientific reports, 15(1), 8750.

Sharma S., Bhatia, K., Singh, S., Lahiri, A.K., Aggarwal, A. (2017). Impact of socioeconomic factors on paediatric cochlear implant outcomes. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 102, 90-97.