A recent study, published in eClinicalMedicine, examined the prevalence of hearing and vision loss among incarcerated youth. Rolvix H. Patterson, MD, MPH, research resident in Duke's Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences, along with an international team of researchers conducted a thorough review and analysis of previous studies about vision and hearing loss.
“There has been limited research into this,” Patterson said, “So the group looked at the prevalence, how common vision and hearing impairment is among kids.”
Their goal was to better understand the disparities in the prevalence of hearing and vision loss so that, moving forward, researchers can begin to identify strategies to improve identification and treatment for these children.
While more research is needed, the team found that vision and hearing impairments were 2-4 times higher among incarcerated youth.
“We’ve consistently seen the same problem across the U.S. and in our international work,” Patterson said. “Vulnerable groups, such as children in detention systems face the biggest barriers.” In these settings, undiagnosed – and thus untreated – sensory issues can compound learning challenges.
The team cast a wide net, combing both medical and legal databases for relevant studies, which allowed a first-of-its-kind global view of the issue.
Higher levels of hearing and vision impairment among incarcerated youth point to a need for more screening, which could then pave the way for more interventions to treat hearing and vision loss. The implications could be sweeping; as Patterson said, the study “strengthens the argument for national-level hearing screening, which often is not available. We don't have universal screening for children, we do for newborns, but not for children in schools.”
Mitigating hearing and vision loss could then improve behavioral issues for youth.
This research, Patterson believes, is applicable beyond just the U.S., “Studies were included from any country, making these findings important in different settings around the world.”
Future directions include the possibility of long-term studies to research how hearing and vision impairment affect recidivism, and randomized trials of interventions to see which have the most impact.
“We aim for these future efforts to reduce the lifelong quality of life effects,” Patterson said, “like delayed language development, reduced educational attainment, difficulty maintaining employment, and early cognitive decline imposed by these conditions.”
While hearing and vision impairments seem to increase the risk of behavioral issues across the board, 70% of the incarcerated population lives in low- and middle-income countries. “This is where future research is most needed,” Patterson said.