ACQUIRED HEARING IMPAIRMENT IN OLDER COUPLE RELATIONSHIPS: AN EXPLORATION OF COUPLE RESILIENCE PROCESSES by

A substantial number of older adults have acquired a hearing loss. Natural aging processes often result in gradual hearing impairment called pr sbycusis. Also, many adults who acquire a hearing impairment at some earlier point in their lives have to adjust to significant additional hearing losses. Because hearing loss affects basic communication processes, couples often have to adjust their ways of interacting. Extant literature presents relevant information about couple relationships in later life, individual adaptation to a hearing loss, and couple relationships where one spouse has a hearing loss. The current study was conducted to better understand the resilience processes that occur for many of these couples. The family resilience theoretical framework guided this study (Ganong & Coleman, 2002; Walsh, 1996), with an emphasis on meaning that couples give to their experiences. The interaction of belief systems (meaning) was explored in connection with resilience processes and the development of couple relationships over time. The findings from this study represent a snapshot of the couple relationships at one point in time. ii