Objective:

To characterise the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) timeline and assess its relationship with psychological inflexibility among parents of children with hearing loss in Khorasan Razavi Province, Iran.

Approach:

• Study Design: Cross-sectional multicentre study conducted at multiple hearing rehabilitation centres in Mashhad, Iran.
• Participants: 193 parents (71 fathers and 122 mothers) of children with documented congenital hearing loss.
• Main Outcome Measures: Child’s age at diagnosis, age at intervention, and diagnosis-to-intervention interval; parental psychological inflexibility measured using the AAQ-MCHL.

Key Findings:

• Mean age at diagnosis: 16.93±14.63 months.
• Mean age at intervention: 23.22±15.35 months.
• Mean diagnosis-to-intervention interval: 6.43±9.25 months.
• Weak negative correlation between parental age and AAQ-MCHL score (r=−0.171, p=0.014).
• No significant correlations between AAQ-MCHL scores and EHDI timeline variables (all p>0.05).

Interpretation:

Substantial delays in diagnosis and intervention persist despite universal newborn hearing screening, with parental psychological inflexibility showing no meaningful association with service timing.

Limitations:

• The study is observational and does not establish causation.
• Potential unmeasured systemic, social, and cultural barriers affecting EHDI timelines.

Conclusion:

The study highlights the need to investigate systemic, social, and cultural barriers to timely diagnosis and intervention.