Mental Health and Social Support Condition of Deaf-mute Undergraduates

Objective: To study the mental health and social support condition of deaf-mute undergraduates, as well as the relation between the two variables. Methods: 158 deaf-mute undergraduates in Deaf Engineering College of Tianjin University of Technology were tested by SCL-90 and Social Support Assessment Scale. Results: (1)The SCL-90 total score and most of the factor scores in deaf-mute undergraduates were significantly higher than the national norm of 1986, and were not significantly different from the revised national undergraduates norm of 1998. The factor scores of obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, and depression were even significantly lower than the latter;(2)The deaf-mute undergraduates showed much lower scores in the factors of social support sum, objective support and utilization level than the normal undergraduates. The female deaf-mute undergraduates got significantly higher score in social support utilization than the male. The deaf-mute sophomore students showed the lowest level in social support;(3)The SCL-90 score of the deaf-mute undergraduates was significantly correlated to their social support score. Conclusion:The social support to deaf-mute undergraduates should be strengthened. The mental health work should be focused.