Antenatal depression and drug use among deaf and hard-of-hearing birthing parents: results from a U.S. National Survey.
Nasya S TanTyler G JamesKimberly Schmitt McKeeTiffany A Moore SimasLauren D SmithMichael M McKeeMonika MitraPublished in: Archives of women's mental health (2024)
DHH ASL-users are less likely to report receiving an antenatal depression diagnosis compared to DHH English-speakers. Given well-documented patient-provider communication barriers among DHH ASL-users, it is unclear if the lower prevalence observed in this study is the result of inadequate or inaccessible screening during pregnancy. Future work should consider universal use of linguistically appropriate screening tools for DHH birthing parents in both clinical and research settings.