ABSTRACT
Background: the emotional changes of patients undergoing cochlear implantation [CI] has been addressed in a few studies. To date, no special test has been developed to measure these Changes
Objective: to measure the emotional status of children undergoing CI by interpreting their drawings
Methods: a prospective longitudinal study on prelingually deafened children from 4-14 years of age undergoing CI and sex and age-matched non-CI candidate deaf children comprised the study population. Drawings were produced before implantation and after 1, 3, 6, and 12-month intervals. These were scored with regard to a questionnaire developed in Amir Aalam Hospital Hearing Research Center, Tehran, Iran
Results: the prevalence of drawings with cues of rage/anxiety decreased from 35% to 21.9%. Similarly, sadness prevalence dropped from 36.8% to 20% and the prevalence of immaturity was reduced from 20% to 7.1%
Conclusion: we recommend drawing to be included in the rehabilitation program of children undergoing CI and used as a practical measure of their emotional progress