The relationship between self-esteem, some social skills, and social capital in deaf and hard-of-hearing adolescent girls

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify self-esteem and its relationship with some social skills and social capital among adolescent female students who are deaf and hard of hearing in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and adopted the descriptive correlational method. The study used the following tools: the Self-Esteem Scale for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Adolescents by Farouk Shalakh (2019), the Social Skills Scale, and the Social Capital Scale (prepared by the researchers). The sample consisted of 82 students who are deaf or hard of hearing at the intermediate and secondary levels. The results revealed that the level of self-esteem was moderate with a mean of (2.55); the level of some social skills was also moderate with a mean of (2.58), and the level of social capital was moderate with an overall mean of (2.45), with the highest available dimension being the sense of belonging with a mean of (2.67). The results indicated a positive relationship between the total score of the Social Skills Scale and the scores of the Self-Esteem Scale dimensions: academic self-esteem, social self-esteem, and physical self-esteem, as well as a positive relationship between the total score of the Social Capital Scale and the scores of the Self-Esteem Scale dimensions: academic self-esteem, social self-esteem, and physical self-esteem. Accordingly, the findings underscore the importance of enhancing social skills and social capital as key approaches to supporting self-esteem among deaf and hard-of-hearing adolescent girls, thereby contributing to the improvement of their psychological and social adjustment and strengthening their integration into society.