Cognitive impairment and academic performance in students with sensorineural hearing loss in Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Introduction Several studies in the literature have highlighted the impact of cognitive impairment and academic performance (AP) in students with sensorineural hearing loss in specialised schools for the deaf. However, few studies have been conducted on this subject in our setting. Purpose...
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Orapuh, Inc.
2025-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://orapuh.org/ojs/ojs-3.1.2-4/index.php/orapj/article/view/370 |
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| author | Jean Paul Pholo Manzimbala Tarcisse Kilara Gabriel Lema Hilaire Kalala Bienvenue Kandala Richard Matanda Jérôme Sokolo Eddy Mampuya Mbambu |
| author_facet | Jean Paul Pholo Manzimbala Tarcisse Kilara Gabriel Lema Hilaire Kalala Bienvenue Kandala Richard Matanda Jérôme Sokolo Eddy Mampuya Mbambu |
| author_sort | Jean Paul Pholo Manzimbala |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Introduction
Several studies in the literature have highlighted the impact of cognitive impairment and academic performance (AP) in students with sensorineural hearing loss in specialised schools for the deaf. However, few studies have been conducted on this subject in our setting.
Purpose
The objective of this study was to determine the influence of hearing impairment (HI) and cognitive level on AP in students attending specialised schools for the deaf in Kongo Central.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 126 deaf students. The parameters collected included sociodemographic, clinical, and paraclinical data. HI was confirmed using pure tone audiometry (PTA) and classified according to WHO criteria. Cognition was assessed using Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM), a non-verbal intelligence test, to determine the intelligence quotient (IQ). Data were analysed using SPSS version 26.0.
Results
A total of 126 students, including 75 boys, were enrolled. The dominant age group was >18 years (44.4%). Most participants were Jehovah’s Witnesses (38.1%) and lived in low-income households (62.7%). Nearly 85.7% of the students had severe to profound HI, with post-lingual onset in 60.3%, and 57.1% had a low IQ. The mean AP was 50.54 ± 6.56%. There was a weak negative correlation between hearing loss and AP (r = -0.30; p < 0.001). Students with above-average IQ had significantly higher AP scores compared to those with low or average IQ (p = 0.005). A significant negative correlation was also observed between advancing age and IQ (p < 0.001), indicating that IQ tends to decline slightly with age, explaining 10.7% of the variance.
Conclusion
The lack of schooling for deaf children is a significant issue in our context. Advancing age significantly impairs AP, underscoring the need to enrol these students at the appropriate school age.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9ba0ba4132324c1682d60b8c2da95a52 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2644-3740 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Orapuh, Inc. |
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| series | Orapuh Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-9ba0ba4132324c1682d60b8c2da95a522025-08-20T03:13:23ZengOrapuh, Inc.Orapuh Journal2644-37402025-04-016310.4314/orapj.v6i3.28Cognitive impairment and academic performance in students with sensorineural hearing loss in Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the CongoJean Paul Pholo Manzimbala 0Tarcisse Kilara 1Gabriel Lema2Hilaire Kalala 3Bienvenue Kandala4Richard Matanda5Jérôme Sokolo6Eddy Mampuya Mbambu7Kinshasa University Clinics, Democratic Republic of the CongoJoseph Kasa-Vubu University, Boma, Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the CongoKinshasa University Clinics, Democratic Republic of the CongoKinshasa University Clinics, Democratic Republic of the CongoUniversity of Kinshasa, Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic of the CongoKinshasa University Clinics, Democratic Republic of the CongoKinshasa University Clinics, Democratic Republic of the CongoKinshasa University Clinics, Democratic Republic of the Congo Introduction Several studies in the literature have highlighted the impact of cognitive impairment and academic performance (AP) in students with sensorineural hearing loss in specialised schools for the deaf. However, few studies have been conducted on this subject in our setting. Purpose The objective of this study was to determine the influence of hearing impairment (HI) and cognitive level on AP in students attending specialised schools for the deaf in Kongo Central. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 126 deaf students. The parameters collected included sociodemographic, clinical, and paraclinical data. HI was confirmed using pure tone audiometry (PTA) and classified according to WHO criteria. Cognition was assessed using Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM), a non-verbal intelligence test, to determine the intelligence quotient (IQ). Data were analysed using SPSS version 26.0. Results A total of 126 students, including 75 boys, were enrolled. The dominant age group was >18 years (44.4%). Most participants were Jehovah’s Witnesses (38.1%) and lived in low-income households (62.7%). Nearly 85.7% of the students had severe to profound HI, with post-lingual onset in 60.3%, and 57.1% had a low IQ. The mean AP was 50.54 ± 6.56%. There was a weak negative correlation between hearing loss and AP (r = -0.30; p < 0.001). Students with above-average IQ had significantly higher AP scores compared to those with low or average IQ (p = 0.005). A significant negative correlation was also observed between advancing age and IQ (p < 0.001), indicating that IQ tends to decline slightly with age, explaining 10.7% of the variance. Conclusion The lack of schooling for deaf children is a significant issue in our context. Advancing age significantly impairs AP, underscoring the need to enrol these students at the appropriate school age. https://orapuh.org/ojs/ojs-3.1.2-4/index.php/orapj/article/view/370Academic performancecognitionhearing impairmentKongo Central |
| spellingShingle | Jean Paul Pholo Manzimbala Tarcisse Kilara Gabriel Lema Hilaire Kalala Bienvenue Kandala Richard Matanda Jérôme Sokolo Eddy Mampuya Mbambu Cognitive impairment and academic performance in students with sensorineural hearing loss in Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo Orapuh Journal Academic performance cognition hearing impairment Kongo Central |
| title | Cognitive impairment and academic performance in students with sensorineural hearing loss in Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| title_full | Cognitive impairment and academic performance in students with sensorineural hearing loss in Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| title_fullStr | Cognitive impairment and academic performance in students with sensorineural hearing loss in Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cognitive impairment and academic performance in students with sensorineural hearing loss in Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| title_short | Cognitive impairment and academic performance in students with sensorineural hearing loss in Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| title_sort | cognitive impairment and academic performance in students with sensorineural hearing loss in kongo central democratic republic of the congo |
| topic | Academic performance cognition hearing impairment Kongo Central |
| url | https://orapuh.org/ojs/ojs-3.1.2-4/index.php/orapj/article/view/370 |
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