How does language affect health?

Language access shapes health across a whole life. One way lack of language access can affect health is that it can cause language deprivation. Language deprivation occurs when a child doesn't have access to language during the critical period of early childhood for brain, social and cognitive development. The other way lack of language access can affect health is that deaf people can miss out on everyday conversations, and miss the kind of "incidental learning" that happens in those conversations. A study Dr. Spellun co-authored found that nearly 40% of deaf adults report often or always feeling excluded from family conversations growing up.

Language access affects physical health

Missing out on key information has significant effects on overall health. In a national survey of 1,524 deaf adults, people who could understand little of what their primary caregiver said growing up had a 12% higher risk of diabetes, a 10% higher risk of hypertension, and a 61% higher risk of heart disease; people routinely excluded from family conversations had a 19% higher risk of lung disease.

Why are deaf people having such high rates of chronic disease? The research suggests language access is the root. In a study by Dr. Arielle Spellun, pediatrician and Director of Health and Wellbeing at the Deaf Center, her team found that among only 58% of deaf ASL users had heard of HPV, compared to 84% of hearing peers, and deaf respondents were less likely to know the virus causes cervical cancer or that a vaccine exists. Deaf and hearing young adults talked with their doctors at the same rate, so the appointments are happening but the deaf peoplep aren't getting the full information. Deaf people were also more often unsure whether cancer ran in their own family, which is exactly the kind of information that is often shared in family conversations. Research shows that deaf people are often left out of dinner table conversations, where information like medical history may be shared.

"Deaf ASL users are less likely to have knowledge of HPV, virus-related cancer risk, and preventative vaccination compared with hearing peers."

Language access affects mental health

Mental health follows the same track. Deaf adults who were excluded from family conversations as children had a 34% higher risk of a depression or anxiety diagnosis, and in the newest study of over 2,000 deaf adults, more childhood communication neglect meant more symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fatigue in adulthood. The fatigue finding matches other studies showing that deaf people often experience fatigue related to trying to listen.

The good news is that these outcomes are not about being deaf, and they aren't predetermined. When children grow in environments where they have access to language, they pick up all the family stories and medical histories that are important for healthcare.