Master's Thesis Defense Meeting

Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Time: 10:00 – 11:15 am

Location: Virtual

Zoom Link: https://gatech.zoom.us/j/94193558105

Thesis Advisor:

Dr. Paul Verhaeghen, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Committee Members:

Dr. Christopher Stanzione, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Dr. Mary Holder, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Title: Minority Stress in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Adults: The Main and Moderating Effects of Deaf Identity and Dispositional Mindfulness

Abstract: Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals frequently encounter discrimination and systemic barriers within hearing society. Framed within the Minority Stress Model, these chronic minority stressors contribute to profound psychological health disparities in the DHH population. The current study (N = 197 DHH adults) utilized a cross-sectional survey design and hierarchical multiple regression analyses to examine whether deaf identity and trait mindfulness facets act as protective buffers between perceived discrimination and psychological outcomes. The results indicated that discrimination was a robust and significant predictor of higher perceived stress, anxiety, and depression, and diminished flourishing. Conversely, deaf identity and facets of trait mindfulness independently predicted positive psychological well-being. Moderation analyses found that deaf identity did not significantly buffer the impacts of discrimination, and the protective benefits of certain mindfulness facets (self-transcendence, self-compassion, and acceptance) were diminished in high-discrimination circumstances. As perceived discrimination increased, the psychological well-being of highly mindful individuals converged with the poorer levels of their less-mindful counterparts. Taken together, these findings suggest that internal resources, such as deaf identity and facets of trait mindfulness, are vital to general psychological well-being; however, the protective mechanisms of these factors alone are not enough to fully buffer the detrimental impact of discrimination. Ultimately, these results highlight a critical need to prioritize systemic interventions that provide external support to DHH individuals facing minority stress, in addition to individual psychological resources.