International Journal of Audiology最新文献

Objectives: To explore the extent to which an international sample of adults with hearing loss experience and respond to stigma-induced identity threat; and the associations between experiences of hearing loss stigma, responses to hearing loss stigma (concealment of hearing loss), and hearing aid use.

Design: Cross-sectional online survey comprising published questionnaires and multiple response questions designed to capture five of seven constructs of the Major and O'Brien model of stigma-induced identity threat. Multivariate modelling examined factors associated with hearing aid use and concealment of hearing loss.

Study sample: 331 adults (50+ years) with self-reported hearing loss, living in Australia, United Kingdom, or United States, participated.

Results: Individuals with hearing loss associated hearing loss and hearing aids with negative stereotypes associated with ageing and disability; although, perceptions of modern hearing aids were positive overall. About 25% of participants did not disclose their hearing loss to anyone or in any situation; and hearing loss disclosure, in addition to attitudes towards hearing aids, stereotypical beliefs, and personal characteristics were associated with hearing aid use in multivariate modelling.

Conclusions: One way in which we may be able to increase use of hearing aids is by explicitly asking about and addressing individuals' experiences of hearing loss stigma.

Objective: Measuring listening effort using pupillometry is challenging in cochlear implant (CI) users. We assess three validated speech tests (Matrix, LIST, and DIN) to identify the optimal speech material for measuring peak-pupil-dilation (PPD) in CI users as a function of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

Design: Speech tests were administered in quiet and two noisy conditions, namely at the speech recognition threshold (0 dB re SRT), i.e. the SNR where speech intelligibility (SI) was 50%, and at a more favourable SNR of +6 dB re SRT. PPDs and subjective ratings of effort were obtained.

Study sample: Eighteen unilaterally implanted CI users.

Results: LIST sentences revealed significantly different PPDs between +6 and 0 dB re SRT and DIN triplets between quiet and +6 dB re SRT. PPDs obtained with the Matrix test were independent of SNR and yielded large PPDs and high subjective ratings even in quiet.

Conclusions: PPD is a sensitive measure for listening effort when processing LIST sentences near 0 dB re SRT and when processing DIN triplets at more favourable listening conditions around +6 dB re SRT. PPDs obtained with the Matrix test were insensitive to SNR, likely because it is demanding for CI users even in quiet.

Objective: This study investigates the relationship between Meniere's disease (MD) duration and both hearing thresholds and vestibular dysfunction.

Design: Retrospective cohort study. First, the relationships between MD duration and pure-tone audiometry thresholds for each frequency, the canal paresis (CP) ratio, and the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain were analysed. Second, clinical characteristics, CP values, and VOR gains were compared between patient groups with low and high hearing thresholds to determine whether they exhibited different clinical presentations.

Study sample: The study included 69 patients diagnosed with unilateral MD within a duration of 10 years. A hearing dataset from 306 MD Spanish patients was used to cluster patients according to the hearing profile overtime.

Results: The thresholds at 250-2000 Hz frequencies increased with the duration of the disease. Conversely, vestibular function tests were not related to the duration of MD. Additionally, no statistically significant differences were observed in clinical characteristics, CP values, or VOR gain between patient groups with low and high hearing thresholds.

Conclusions: Hearing loss involves all frequencies in most patients and hearing outcome, rather than vestibular loss, may define patient subgroups in MD. Moreover, not all patients with MD experience hearing loss progression as the duration of the disease increases.

Objective: To describe application scenarios of a mobile device that provides a practical means for showcasing potential hearing aid benefits.

Design: A prototype of a hearing aid demonstrator based on circumaural headphones and a mobile signal processing platform was developed, providing core functions of a hearing aid, including several gain presets, in a hygienic, robust, and easy-to-use form factor. Speech intelligibility outcomes with the demonstrator and broadband level adaptations as potential fitting references were compared to outcomes with the own hearing aids of hearing-impaired participants. Furthermore, subjective assessments of the effect of the demonstrator were obtained at a public outreach event.

Study sample: 20 experienced hearing aid users participated in the speech intelligibility outcome measurements. 54 citizens participated in the public outreach event.

Results: Speech intelligibility measurements made with the demonstrator constituted a better predictor for typically achieved aided speech intelligibility outcomes than broadband level adaptations. Participants at the public outreach event reported that trying out the demonstrator changed their expectations of hearing aid benefits and improved their understanding of how hearing aids work.

Conclusion: The developed demonstrator promises to be a useful tool for showcasing and probing benefits of hearing aids in clinical, public, and educational settings.

Objective: To investigate the reliability of a bilingual school-age hearing screening in four school grades based on the Digit Triplet Test (DTT) in two languages and to investigate three calculation methods for referral values in their ability to detect hearing losses and avoid false-positive results.

Design and study sample: 3255 children, aged between 10 and 17 years old, were tested during a systematic hearing screening program in a bilingual, French-German area in Belgium. French speaking children were tested with a French DTT, German children were tested with a German DTT. The SRT-values, their stability and measurement error were investigated per grade and language. The number of false-positive results was studied for three referral methods, using additional audiometric data of 71 children.

Results: Our data showed that reliable results with high stability and a small measurement error can be obtained in only around two minutes per ear. Differences between languages are minimal and grade-specific referral values were necessary. A referral method considering the lowest SNRs in the adaptive staircase reduces the number of false-positive results substantially.

Conclusion: The DTT versions of different languages can be used reliably in a bilingual school-age hearing screening program when grade-specific, alternative referral methods are implemented.

Objective: Auditory-steady state responses (ASSRs) to stimuli modulated by different frequencies may differ between children and adults. These differences in response characteristics or latency may reflect developmental changes. This study investigates age-related differences in response strength, latencies, and hemispheric laterality indices of ASSRs for different modulation frequencies.

Design: Multi-channel EEG was used to measure ASSRs to broadband noise, modulated at either 40 or 80 Hz, presented at 70 dB SPL to the left, right, or both ears.

Study sample: This study involved 18 adults (20-26 years) and 17 children divided into two age groups: younger children (6-10 years) and older children (11-14 years).

Results: Advancing age was associated with increased response strength and prolonged latencies for 40-Hz ASSRs, with significant differences observed between adults and younger children. No significant age-related differences were noted for 80-Hz ASSRs. Laterality analysis indicated a right-hemisphere tendency for 40-Hz ASSRs in older children and 80-Hz ASSRs in younger children, respectively.

Conclusion: The study indicates the development of 40-Hz ASSRs with increasing response strength and prolonged latencies. The results of children with normal hearing are important for further research on children with hearing impairment.

Objective: To examine the association between individual, cumulative leisure noise exposure (CLNE), acceptable yearly exposure (AYE) and tinnitus among a nationally representative sample of Canadians.

Design: In-person household questionnaires were used to evaluate leisure noise exposure across age, sex, household income and tinnitus: ever experienced, previous year, frequent, bothersome. High (≥85 dBA, LEX), low (<85 dBA, LEX) CLNE and AYEs were defined according to occupational limits.

Study sample: A randomised sample of 10,460 respondents, aged 6-79, completed questionnaires between 2012 and 2015. Results: Tinnitus prevalence was highest among young adults and teenagers (50% for both). Frequent and bothersome tinnitus afflicted one-third and 18.1% of Canadians, respectively. Men had higher tinnitus prevalence while women had increased bothersome tinnitus. For most ages, elevated tinnitus odds ratios (ORs) were associated with: (1) high, low CLNE and AYEs ≥1 and, (2) high exposure from individual sources: loud home/car stereo listening, power tools, gasoline engines, highway motorcycle/snowmobile driving. Loud personal listening device usage was associated with tinnitus ORs doubling (ages 6-11) and ≥5 or $<$5 years of loud usage, with increased tinnitus ORs (ages 12-19).

Conclusion: Community and/or school-based educational outreach would be beneficial to increase awareness of loud leisure noise exposure and tinnitus.

Objective: To report host-related and environmental factors associated with otitis media (OM), and compare the prevalence of OM in 12-month-old infants reported by parents with that predicted from audiological assessment results.

Design: A non-randomised, cross-sectional design was used. Data were collected via a parental questionnaire during children's audiology appointment at 12 months of age. Audiological assessments were performed on all participants.

Study sample: Participants were 237 infants whose parents had completed a questionnaire at the audiology appointment.

Results: The results of the logistic regressions with univariate model showed that attendance at day-care centres, upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) and siblings' history of OM were statistically significant variables with an odds ratio of 1.91, 2.87 and 3.56, respectively. The results of the multivariate logistic regression highlighted siblings' history of OM as the significant associated factor. The prevalence of parent-reported OM was 22.3% whereas the prevalence predicted from audiological findings was at least 39.7%.

Conclusions: The present study identified three associated factors for OM: day-care attendance, frequent URTI and siblings' history of OM in infants. The prevalence of OM predicted from audiologic measures was about twice of that reported by parents. Preventive measures to mitigate the effects of OM have been suggested.

Objective: Hearing decline in ageing increases the risk of loneliness and social isolation. This correlation is most often observed when hearing is measured by subjective self-report, and less often for objectively measured speech listening ability, raising questions about differences between self-assessments and behavioural performance. This study compared self-reported hearing ability and objective speech-in-noise performance as predictors of loneliness and social isolation in adults older than 60.

Design: This was an observational, cross-sectional online study. Participants were instructed to complete a speech-in-noise task to measure objective listening ability, as well as four questionnaires that measured subjective self-rated hearing, feelings of loneliness, perceived social support, and depression and anxiety.

Study sample: One-hundred fifteen individuals aged above 60 with no treated hearing loss.

Results: No correlation was found between loneliness scores and subjective self-rated hearing or objective speech-in-noise perception after adjusting demographic variables and overall psychological distress (anxiety and depression). However, self-rated hearing was positively correlated with social support when anxiety/depression scores were low. When anxiety/depression scores were high, this relationship was attenuated. Objective speech-in-noise perception did not correlate with perceived social support.

Conclusions: Self-rated hearing ability positively predicts ratings of social support in older adults with low levels of psychological distress.