Diagnosing deafness is a culturally situated practice generating considerable research in health sciences but limited work in anthropology. Diagnosis fast-tracks parents into a medical and education pathway but can also create tension for parents and professionals. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, we argue that in this biomedical context, emotions are often understood by professionals as impairing for parents, and hence problematic for the treatment process. In contrast emotions are characterized by parents as motivational and tools for decision making on a pathway that is experienced as a source of stress.
Keywords: Australia; diagnosing childhood deafness; emotions; motivation; parent reactions.