Microtia is a ‘part of me’: A Qualitative Investigation Into The Family And Child’s Experience Of Microtia And Hearing Loss

Saira Hussain; Helen Pryce; Amanda Hall

doi:10.1080/14992027.2026.2640204

Microtia is a ‘part of me’: A Qualitative Investigation Into The Family And Child’s Experience Of Microtia And Hearing Loss

Saira Hussain^*
, Helen Pryce
, Amanda Hall

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Objective
This study aimed to investigate the experiences of children/young people and families living with microtia and hearing loss.

Design
Interviews and focus groups were conducted with children and young people (n = 11) with microtia and parents (n = 12). A constant comparative approach consistent with Grounded Theory was used.

Study sample
Participants included children and young people with microtia aged 7 to 20, recruited from across England, UK. They engaged in individual semi-structured interviews, whilst parents participated across five online Focus Groups. All participants spoke English and received care from the National Health Service (NHS).

Results
Children, young people and parents actively assess the child’s hearing needs. Other microtia considerations change over time, and ongoing information-seeking is important. This information is drawn from multiple sources, contributing to an understanding of microtia as an integral aspect of the individual’s identity.

Conclusions
This study highlights the evolving information needs of children and young people with microtia, including hearing support, ear reconstruction options, managing daily challenges such as school and social situations, and learning about the experiences of peers with similar conditions. The findings show how these needs change over time, emphasising the value of accessible, age-appropriate information to support children as they grow and navigate these experiences.

Original language	English
Number of pages	12
Journal	International Journal of Audiology
Early online date	9 Mar 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/14992027.2026.2640204
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 9 Mar 2026

Bibliographical note

Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of British Society of Audiology, International Society of Audiology, and Nordic Audiological Society.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.

Funding

This work was supported by the Microtia UK Charity.

Funders
Microtia UK

Keywords

Microtia
child
family
hearing loss
lived experience

Access to Document

10.1080/14992027.2026.2640204Licence: CC BY 4.0

Microtia is a part of me a qualitative investigation into the family and child s experience of microtia and hearing loss
Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of British Society of Audiology, International Society of Audiology, and Nordic Audiological Society. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Final published version, 1.12 MBLicence: CC BY 4.0

Cite this

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title = "Microtia is a {\textquoteleft}part of me{\textquoteright}: A Qualitative Investigation Into The Family And Child{\textquoteright}s Experience Of Microtia And Hearing Loss",

abstract = "Objective This study aimed to investigate the experiences of children/young people and families living with microtia and hearing loss. Design Interviews and focus groups were conducted with children and young people (n = 11) with microtia and parents (n = 12). A constant comparative approach consistent with Grounded Theory was used. Study sample Participants included children and young people with microtia aged 7 to 20, recruited from across England, UK. They engaged in individual semi-structured interviews, whilst parents participated across five online Focus Groups. All participants spoke English and received care from the National Health Service (NHS). Results Children, young people and parents actively assess the child{\textquoteright}s hearing needs. Other microtia considerations change over time, and ongoing information-seeking is important. This information is drawn from multiple sources, contributing to an understanding of microtia as an integral aspect of the individual{\textquoteright}s identity. Conclusions This study highlights the evolving information needs of children and young people with microtia, including hearing support, ear reconstruction options, managing daily challenges such as school and social situations, and learning about the experiences of peers with similar conditions. The findings show how these needs change over time, emphasising the value of accessible, age-appropriate information to support children as they grow and navigate these experiences.",

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author = "Saira Hussain and Helen Pryce and Amanda Hall",

note = "Copyright {\textcopyright} 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor \& Francis Group on behalf of British Society of Audiology, International Society of Audiology, and Nordic Audiological Society. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.",

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N1 - Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of British Society of Audiology, International Society of Audiology, and Nordic Audiological Society. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.

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N2 - Objective This study aimed to investigate the experiences of children/young people and families living with microtia and hearing loss. Design Interviews and focus groups were conducted with children and young people (n = 11) with microtia and parents (n = 12). A constant comparative approach consistent with Grounded Theory was used. Study sample Participants included children and young people with microtia aged 7 to 20, recruited from across England, UK. They engaged in individual semi-structured interviews, whilst parents participated across five online Focus Groups. All participants spoke English and received care from the National Health Service (NHS). Results Children, young people and parents actively assess the child’s hearing needs. Other microtia considerations change over time, and ongoing information-seeking is important. This information is drawn from multiple sources, contributing to an understanding of microtia as an integral aspect of the individual’s identity. Conclusions This study highlights the evolving information needs of children and young people with microtia, including hearing support, ear reconstruction options, managing daily challenges such as school and social situations, and learning about the experiences of peers with similar conditions. The findings show how these needs change over time, emphasising the value of accessible, age-appropriate information to support children as they grow and navigate these experiences.

AB - Objective This study aimed to investigate the experiences of children/young people and families living with microtia and hearing loss. Design Interviews and focus groups were conducted with children and young people (n = 11) with microtia and parents (n = 12). A constant comparative approach consistent with Grounded Theory was used. Study sample Participants included children and young people with microtia aged 7 to 20, recruited from across England, UK. They engaged in individual semi-structured interviews, whilst parents participated across five online Focus Groups. All participants spoke English and received care from the National Health Service (NHS). Results Children, young people and parents actively assess the child’s hearing needs. Other microtia considerations change over time, and ongoing information-seeking is important. This information is drawn from multiple sources, contributing to an understanding of microtia as an integral aspect of the individual’s identity. Conclusions This study highlights the evolving information needs of children and young people with microtia, including hearing support, ear reconstruction options, managing daily challenges such as school and social situations, and learning about the experiences of peers with similar conditions. The findings show how these needs change over time, emphasising the value of accessible, age-appropriate information to support children as they grow and navigate these experiences.

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Microtia is a ‘part of me’: A Qualitative Investigation Into The Family And Child’s Experience Of Microtia And Hearing Loss

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

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