Loneliness and the Mainstreamed Hearing Impaired College Student

The purpose of this study was to provide a starting point in the investigation of loneliness and mainstreamed hearing impaired college students. One hundred seventy volunteer participants, who were drawn from eight mainstream colleges/universities, completed the revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. Hearing impaired students were found to be more lonely than students in the hearing sample. No difference was found between mean loneliness scores in terms of the hard-of-hearing/deaf dichotomy, by year in school or by gender. The inverse correlations between individual loneliness scores and satisfaction with parental and peer relationships, adjustment to disability and comfort with speech and sign language are discussed in terms of practical significance.