Applying the Candidacy Framework to investigate access to mental health support services for people with hearing loss

Hearing loss can have a significant negative impact on an individual’s mental health. Yet despite the impact poor mental health can have on wellbeing, several factors impact mental health service utilisation including stigma and service availability. For those individuals with hearing loss, little is known about the specific barriers, although people with hearing loss have expressed concerns in utilising health services more broadly due to challenges with communication. This qualitative research will utilise participatory action research to undertake a series of three studies designed to better understand the barriers to accessing mental health support for those who have experienced hearing loss. The first study will involve a scoping analysis to obtain an in-depth understanding of the current literature and practice landscape. The second study will attempt to understand the barriers and facilitators adults with hearing loss face in accessing mental health services and identify where along the service access route these occur. Study three aims to develop a suitable tool to enhance access to mental health services for people with hearing loss as part of the action and implementation phase of the participatory action research process. These studies are informed by the candidacy framework, which provides a useful tool to conceptualise the complex systemic factors that contribute to barriers in accessing services. It is hoped that the findings of this research will promote interdisciplinary responses to service accessibility and further contribute to fair and equitable access to mental health services for people with hearing loss.