American Journal of Audiology最新文献

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to develop and evaluate an in-person hearing aid training program designed for health care workers and personal care aides (PCAs) who care for older adults.

Method: Participants were 18 health care workers and PCAs whose clients were older adults. This was a randomized controlled study in which half of the participants were assigned to the experimental group (n = 9) and the other half to a control group (n = 9). The experimental group was administered a hearing aid training program that was developed in this study for health care workers and PCAs. Participants in the control group were trained on a task similar in complexity and administration time to the hearing aid training program. The Practical Hearing Aid Skills Test-Revised Version 2 (PHAST-Rv2) was administered before and immediately after training. A 2 × 2 mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the pre- and post-training scores between and within the experimental and control groups. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the differences between pre- and post-training scores on each of the administered PHAST-Rv2 tasks. In addition, participants were asked about their experience helping clients with their hearing aids.

Results: Mean pre- and post-training PHAST-Rv2 scores for the experimental group were 59.50% and 95.84%, respectively, and 57.66% and 59.96%, respectively, for the control group. Results from a 2 × 2 mixed ANOVA with time point (pre- and post-training) as the within-subject variable and group (experimental and control) as the between-subject variable demonstrated that hearing aid training significantly improved PHAST-Rv2 scores for the experimental group. Post-training, the tasks that the experimental group improved on the most were brushing the microphone port, cleaning the dome, placing the hearing aids in the charger, and inserting the hearing aid into the model ear. No demographic variables were significantly correlated with the participants' improvement on the PHAST-Rv2 post-training score.

Conclusion: A hearing aid training program designed specifically for health care workers was shown to be an efficient and effective way to improve how well health care workers can care for and operate a hearing aid.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the audiological test results from a sample of 60 adults with self-reported misophonia.

Method: Audiological testing was completed prior to participant randomization in a controlled trial for misophonia treatment. Participants completed the Inventory of Hyperacusis Symptoms Survey (IHS), the Tinnitus and Hearing Survey (THS), the Misophonia Questionnaire (MQ), and behavioral and objective audiometric measures.

Results: Hearing thresholds were less than 25 dBHL for 97% of the participants. Loudness discomfort levels for tonal stimuli suggested hyperacusis in 25% of the sample. Total scores on the IHS indicated that 12% met the clinical cutoff for hyperacusis, and, on the THS, 27% experienced problems with tinnitus, 77% experienced problems with hearing, and 53% experienced problems with sound tolerance. On the MQ, 37% indicated mild levels of misophonia and 58% indicated moderate levels. For speech-in-noise testing, a mild signal-to-noise ratio loss was present for 15% of participants. Most of the participants had present distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs).

Conclusions: Audiological data on individuals with misophonia are lacking. In this article, we present results from audiological testing on 60 adults with self-reported misophonia. Most had normal peripheral hearing sensitivity based on pure-tone audiometry and DPOAE measures; some had difficulties with sound sensitivities and understanding speech-in-noise, self-report indicated problems with hyperacusis, tinnitus, and hearing difficulty.

Purpose: This systematic review examines the role of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in enhancing communication for individuals who are hard of hearing.

Method: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines, we conducted a comprehensive search across databases including PubMed, WoS, EMBASE, and IEEE. Of the 5,981 records initially identified, 22 studies met our inclusion criteria after screening. Most of these studies (68%) focused on nonverbal communication modalities using tools such as sign language and visual cues, while the remainder focused on verbal communication. A descriptive synthesis was used due to the expected diversity in study characteristics.

Results: Our assessment showed a substantial emphasis on educational impacts, speech perception, and cognitive skills development through AR and VR. The reviewed articles provide preliminary evidence on the efficacy of these technologies in teaching sign language, enhancing cognitive skills such as reasoning, and improving speech perception among the deaf or hard of hearing individuals.

Conclusion: This review underscores the transformative potential of AR and VR in addressing communication challenges faced by individuals who are hard of hearing, emphasizing the need for further research with diverse, larger sample sizes to investigate these technologies for broader communication support.

Purpose: Telepractice is a growing service model that delivers aural rehabilitation to deaf and hard-of hearing children via telecommunications technology. Despite known benefits of telepractice, this delivery approach may increase patients' listening effort (LE) characterized as an allocation of cognitive resources toward an auditory task. The study tested techniques for collecting physiological measures of LE in normal-hearing (NH) children during remote (referred to as tele-) and in-person communication using the wearable Empatica E4 wristband.

Method: Participants were 10 children (age range: 9-12 years old) who came to two tele- and two in-person weekly sessions, order counterbalanced. During each session, the children heard a short passage read by the clinical provider, completed an auditory passage comprehension task, and self-rated their effort as a part of the larger study. Measures of electrodermal activity and blood volume pulse amplitude were collected from the child E4 wristband.

Results: No differences in child subjective, physiological measures of LE or passage comprehension scores were found between in-person sessions and telesessions. However, an effect of treatment duration on subjective and physiological measures of LE was identified. Children self-reported a significant increase in LE over time. However, their physiological measures demonstrated a trend indicating a decrease in LE. A significant association between subjective measures and the passage comprehension task was found suggesting that those children who reported more effort demonstrated a higher proportion of correct responses.

Conclusions: The study demonstrated the feasibility of collection of physiological measures of LE in NH children during remote and in-person communication using the E4 wristband. The results suggest that measures of LE are multidimensional and may reflect different sources of, or cognitive responses to, increased listening demand.

Supplemental material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.27122064.

Purpose: For patients with single-sided deafness (SSD), choosing between bone conduction devices (BCDs) and contralateral routing of signal hearing aids (CROS) is challenging due to mixed evidence on their benefits. The lack of clear guidelines complicates clinical decision making. This study explores whether realistic spatial listening measures can reveal a clinically valid benefit and if the optimal choice varies among patients. By assessing listening effort through objective and subjective measures, this research evaluates the efficacy of BCD and CROS, seeking to provide evidence-based recommendation anchored in the effectiveness of these devices in real-world scenarios.

Method: Thirteen participants with SSD performed the Hearing-in-Noise Test while using a BCD, CROS hearing aids, and no hearing device (unaided). Subjective listening effort was assessed using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) questionnaire after each testing block. An objective measurement of listening effort was obtained by measuring the peak pupil dilation (PPD) during the task using eye tracking glasses.

Results: No significant difference of either PPD or NASA-TLX scores was observed between the three device conditions (BCD, CROS, and unaided). However, a trend is noted toward reduced PPD in the BCD and CROS conditions. The lack of significance in pupillometry results does not stem from technical issues, as the study's findings confirm its effectiveness in measuring task difficulty, and validate its use for assessing listening effort.

Conclusions: Although the results from the present study cannot significantly differentiate the hearing devices, we observe a trend that points toward reduced listening effort when using hearing devices. Future investigations should aim to optimize metrics of listening effort, perhaps making them clinically useful on an individual level.

Purpose: The current study aimed at investigating the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and basic auditory processing in young adults with normal hearing. Specifically, we sought to determine whether SES metrics, including parental education, parental occupation, and individual education attainment, influenced performance on tasks of basic auditory processing. Secondarily, we also aimed at understanding the interactive effects of SES and working memory on basic auditory processing.

Method: A total of 38 young adults were included in the study. Self-reported SES measures were recorded through Likert scales, and auditory processing measures included tests for temporal fine structure (TFS) and spectrotemporal sensitivity (STS). Pearson correlation analyses were conducted to probe the relationships between SES indicators and auditory processing performance. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to understand the interactive effects of SES and working memory on auditory processing performance.

Results: The analysis revealed no significant correlation between SES measures and basic auditory processing performance across TFS and STS tasks. Furthermore, analysis investigating the interaction between SES and working memory also yielded nonsignificant results. These findings indicate that, within this specific age cohort, SES information may not be indispensable for assessing basic auditory processing.

Conclusions: Our study suggests that SES may not significantly influence basic auditory processing in young adults with normal hearing. However, further research with larger sample sizes and longitudinal designs is warranted to confirm these findings and explore potential age-related differences in the impact of SES on auditory processing across the lifespan.

Purpose: U.S. Army Soldiers undergo annual audiometric surveillance to facilitate prevention of auditory injury. Soldiers are screened for bothersome tinnitus and subsequently referred for a clinical audiological evaluation as warranted. Presumably, most Soldiers seen in the clinic for bothersome tinnitus receive a tinnitus diagnosis. The incidence of self-reported bothersome tinnitus at the time of annual audiometric surveillance and subsequent diagnosis of tinnitus in the medical record has not been examined to date. This study estimated the incidence of tinnitus diagnosis in a population of Soldiers who reported new onset bothersome tinnitus and explored trends associated with tinnitus diagnosis to refine hearing health education.

Method: A subset of hearing conservation records retrieved for a previous study were selected based on change in self-reporting of bothersome tinnitus. Corresponding medical records were retrieved for this sample of Active Duty (AD) Soldiers. The data were retrospectively examined, and analyses were conducted to identify statistically significant differences between Soldiers with and Soldiers without a tinnitus diagnosis. In addition, trend patterns of bothersome tinnitus and significant threshold shift (STS) were examined.

Results: Of the sample of 730,350 AD Soldiers, 16.7% self-reported new onset bothersome tinnitus and 7.1% of those recorded as having bothersome tinnitus had a diagnosis of tinnitus in their medical record. Soldiers with a tinnitus diagnosis were older and had higher pure-tone averages than Soldiers without a tinnitus diagnosis. Counterintuitively, overall trend percentages of bothersome tinnitus increased per calendar year, while the percentages of STS decreased throughout the study period.

Conclusions: The rate of tinnitus diagnosis in the medical record is vastly lower than the prevalence of bothersome tinnitus recorded in the annual surveillance system. Steps should be taken to screen, refer, and diagnose tinnitus more consistently. Based on the outcome of the study analysis, we recommend that screening for bothersome tinnitus more closely follows procedure recommendations from the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense (VA/DOD) Tinnitus Working Group, which may reduce the rate at which Soldiers report bothersome tinnitus.

Purpose: This study aimed to profile and compare the auditory processing and working memory skills of young and older adults with near-normal hearing thresholds (up to 2000 Hz) and cognition. This was done to investigate the effect of aging on these skills despite exhibiting near-normal peripheral hearing in low frequencies and normal cognitive skills.

Method: Twenty-five young adults (18 to 35 years) and 35 older adults (56 to 79 years) were recruited for the study. They were screened for near-normal hearing thresholds (up to 2000 Hz) as well as cognition, and written informed consent was obtained. A battery of auditory processing and working memory tests were administered to the participants. The responses obtained were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Principal component analysis (PCA) was also carried out to examine any relationship between the various auditory processes and the cognitive skills.

Results: The young adults had superior performance compared to older adults on most of the tasks. PCA revealed the influence of working memory on performance in most tests of auditory processing in young adults and to a lesser extent in older adults.

Conclusions: This study aimed to assess and compare the auditory processing and working memory skills of young and older adults with normal hearing and cognition. Overall, young adults demonstrated superior performance compared to older adults across the tasks. The results of PCA indicated that the young adults utilized their cognitive resources better for auditory processing compared to the older adults. These findings suggest a need for tailored interventions targeting both auditory processing and working memory, especially among older adults, and highlight the importance of considering age-related differences in these cognitive processes when interpreting auditory processing assessments.

Purpose: The current work sought to identify the optimal presentation levels for the NU-6 ordered-by-difficulty (OBD) abbreviated word lists. An optimal presentation level would yield a listener's highest word recognition score (WRS; known as phonetically balanced [PB] max) and allow the use of a shortened test protocol. A protocol based on the dB sensation level (dB SL) at 2000 Hz was used as a starting point. It is not known if these two commonly used time-saving approaches can be used in combination to obtain optimal results.

Method: WRSs were obtained at multiple levels. The initial level was based on the hearing threshold at 2000 Hz and was either increased or decreased. For listeners with hearing loss, uncomfortable listening (UCL) levels were measured, and a word list was presented 5 dB below the UCL. Thirty-four adults with (25) and without (9) hearing loss, who were recruited via flyers and direct contact, participated in this study. A descriptive analysis was conducted to identify the level needed to obtain PB max using OBD word lists with the least number of words.

Results: In most cases, the initial presentation level did not yield PB max and required more than 10 words.

Conclusions: It is recommended that the presentation level for NU-6 OBD word lists be at least 30-40 dB SL relative to the hearing threshold at 2000 Hz with a minimum presentation level of 35 dB HL. If this is not feasible, the presentation of these words at UCL-5 is recommended.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of noise exposure on otolith function measures of video ocular counter roll (vOCR), ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP), cervical VEMP (cVEMP), and subjective visual vertical (SVV). Additionally, this study compared the vOCR results with other otolith function measures: cVEMP, oVEMP, and SVV.

Method: This was a cross-sectional, between-group prospective study that compared otolith function tests between noise exposure groups. Thirty-three adults between the ages of 40-60 years with no middle ear pathology, history of balance disorder, neurologic pathology, systemic diseases, or receiving ototoxic medications were included in the study. Group 1 included 17 adults (34 ears) with low-risk noise exposure, and Group 2 included 16 adults (32 ears) with high-risk noise exposure. Independent samples t tests were used to assess group mean differences for dependent variables. The independent variable was group with two levels (low risk and high risk). The dependent variables were Noise Exposure Structured Interview (NESI) score, vOCR torsion, cVEMP amplitude, oVEMP amplitude, and SVV angle. Additional analyses were completed using Pearson correlation to evaluate the relationship of vOCR to the other otolith function tests and NESI score to the otolith function tests.

Results: The results indicated significantly decreased vOCR torsion, cVEMP amplitude, and oVEMP amplitude in individuals with high-risk noise exposure compared with those in the low-risk group. Significant correlations were found for NESI scores as well as vOCR and oVEMP measures.

Conclusions: This study describes the concomitant degeneration of the auditory and vestibular systems from noise exposure affecting otolith function, as measured by audiologic testing and otolith testing. vOCR appears to be sensitive to this degeneration, indicating that vOCR could be used as a vestibular screening measure for patients with noise exposure and/or suspected utricle dysfunction.