Journal of the American Academy of Audiology最新文献

Background:  The concept of occupational self-esteem is the value judgment developed toward the chosen profession, whereas job satisfaction includes positive emotional attitudes toward the job. Professional self-esteem and job satisfaction levels of audiologists are a matter of curiosity.

Purpose:  To determine the effect of the workplace types of audiologists in Türkiye on their professional self-esteem and job satisfaction levels.

Study sample:  The study included 307 audiologists working in various types of workplaces. Participation in the study was voluntary.

Data collection:  A Personal Information Form, Arıcak's Occupational Self-Esteem Scale, and the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Scale were administered to all individuals via Google forms and the scale scores were compared according to the workplace types.

Results:  A statistically significant relationship was found between professional self-esteem and job satisfaction, age, satisfaction with workplace, satisfaction with working conditions, effect of workplace on professional development, and income satisfaction (p < 0.05). However, no statistically significant relationship was found between professional self-esteem and professional tenure and tenure in the current organization (p > 0.05). There was a strong positive statistically significant relationship between job satisfaction and professional self-esteem of audiologists working at state hospitals, hearing aid centers, university hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and cochlear implant centers and academics (p < 0.05).

Conclusion:  According to the present results, although the professional self-esteem of audiologists in Türkiye showed a small difference according to the type of workplace, their mean score was high. This shows that audiologists enjoy their profession. Job satisfaction levels were lower especially in rehabilitation centers and private hospitals. We think that improving the working conditions of audiologists in private institutions will be effective in improving the services provided to patients by leading to better job satisfaction.

Background:  Hidden hearing loss (HHL) is a newly described condition that has been associated with hearing thresholds within normal limits and poorer speech-in-noise (SIN) performance. Furthermore, HHL has been associated with an elevated or absent middle ear muscle reflex (MEMR). One of the leading factors causing HHL is exposure to noise, specifically in patients who experience temporary threshold shift. This study investigated the SIN performance and MEMR in individuals at risk for noise exposure. Additionally, this study investigated the auditory nerve response measured to different stimulation rates in order to evaluate the auditory nerve adaptation and potentially identify neural loss in individuals at risk for noise exposure.

Research design:  Twenty-one young-adult participants (11 low-risk and 10 high-risk) were recruited to participate in the study. Participants were divided into a low-risk and high-risk group based on their noise exposure history and if they have experienced any signs of temporary threshold shift following noise exposure. SIN testing, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), MEMR, hearing thresholds, and electrocochleography (ECochG) were measured. Experimental protocol included measuring MEMR, word recognition scores in quiet and in noise (0 dB signal-to-noise ratio), and ECochG recordings at three rates (9.1, 37.1, and 71.1 clicks/seconds).

Data analysis:  Descriptive statistics are provided for the different variables. Contingency tables were used to investigate the frequency of measuring normal MEMR between both groups. We also investigated the audiometric threshold, DPOAEs amplitude, and SIN results between groups using independent samples t-tests. Lastly, we investigated the effect of stimulation rate on the summating potential (SP) and action potential (AP) between groups using repeated measures analysis of variance with mixed effects.

Results:  No significant differences in hearing thresholds or DPOAEs amplitude at any tested frequency between both groups. Significantly larger number of participants in the high-risk group have abnormal MEMR compared with the low-risk group. Significantly poorer performance on SIN, smaller AP amplitude, and greater SP/AP amplitude ratio in the high-risk group. Furthermore, the AP amplitude adapted differently for the high-risk group with increasing stimulation rate compared with the low-risk group.

Conclusions:  The results of this study show that HHL is associated with poorer SIN performance and abnormal MEMR. Additionally, the significant reduction in AP amplitude and the degree of AP amplitude adaptation with change in stimulus rate might indicate loss of neural output in individuals with a history of noise exposure.

Background:  Misophonia is a decreased tolerance of certain sounds related to eating noises, lip smacking, sniffing, breathing, clicking sounds, and tapping. While several validated self-report misophonia questionnaires exist, none focus solely on the impact of misophonia on the patient's life. Additionally, there are no available validated pediatric self-report measures of misophonia. Therefore, a tool was needed to assess the impact of misophonia on both adult and pediatric patients.

Purpose:  To evaluate the psychometric properties of the 8-item Misophonia Impact Questionnaire (MIQ).

Research design:  This was a retrospective cross-sectional study.

Study sample:  Patients who attended the Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Therapy Specialist Clinic in the United Kingdom seeking help for tinnitus, hyperacusis, and/or misophonia (n = 256). A subsample of children aged 16 years or younger (n = 15) was included for preliminary analyses of a version of the MIQ to be filled in by a parent (MIQ-P).

Data collection and analysis:  Data were collected retrospectively from the records of patients held at the audiology department. These included demographic data, audiological measures, and self-report questionnaires taken as part of routine care. Descriptive statistics and psychometric analyses were conducted. The MIQ was analyzed for item difficulty, factor structure, reliability, and construct validity.

Results:  Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a one-factor model for the MIQ gave an excellent fit and its estimated reliability was excellent, with Cronbach's α = 0.94. The total MIQ scores were highly correlated with scores for the Hyperacusis Impact Questionnaire and Sound Sensitivity Symptoms Questionnaire. MIQ scores were not significantly correlated with scores for the Tinnitus Impact Questionnaire or average hearing thresholds. Preliminary data from the subsample indicated excellent internal consistency for the MIQ-P, with Cronbach's α = 0.92.

Conclusions:  The MIQ is a promising questionnaire for assessing the impact of misophonia. Future studies should focus on establishing test/retest reliability, identifying clinically significant change in MIQ scores, defining the severity of misophonia impact categories, and further exploring the psychometric properties of the MIQ-P.

Background:  In literature, the cognitive performance results of normal hearing individuals with tinnitus are inconsistent. It also differs in the control of other factors that may affect cognition.

Purpose:  This study aimed to determine the differences in attention and memory performance between normal hearing individuals with chronic subjective tinnitus and age-sex-education-matched healthy controls.

Study sample:  Normal hearing individuals with subjective chronic tinnitus between 18 and 55 years of age, who have normal cognitive abilities (tinnitus group, n = 30) and age-sex-matched normal hearing individuals without tinnitus who have normal cognitive abilities (control group, n = 30) were included in this study.

Data collection:  The Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test measured participants' general cognitive screening, and depressive symptoms were measured by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Tinnitus Handicap Inventory was used to determine the tinnitus handicap levels. Attention performance was evaluated with Stroop Test-TBAG Form, and short-term and working memory performances were evaluated with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R)-Digit Span Test.

Results:  The tinnitus and control groups' depressive symptom scores were similar concerning the BDI (p = 0.90). There was no statistically significant difference between both groups according to the completion time of the five sections of the Stroop Test, the number of errors and corrections of the Stroop 5 test, and the (WAIS-R)-Digit Span Test scores (p > 0.05).

Conclusion:  In our study, the Stroop Test and Digit Span Test performances of individuals with tinnitus and normal hearing were similar to the control group. Despite previous studies claiming an effect of tinnitus on cognition, our contrary findings are discussed in the light of other demographic, audiological, and psychological measurement variables, especially hearing loss.

Background:  Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic, multisystemic, neurodevelopmental disorder, in which studies have demonstrated the presence of auditory deficits such as conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, cochlear weakness, and subclinical signs of hearing impairment. However, few studies have assessed this population's central auditory system.

Purpose:  To analyze long-latency auditory evoked potential (LLAEP) in adults with WS and compare them with those obtained from neurotypical individuals with no hearing complaints.

Research design:  A cross-sectional observational study with subjects who were submitted to LLAEP assessment with the oddball paradigm and tone-burst stimuli.

Study sample:  A total of 30 individuals of both sexes, aged 18 to 37 years-15 had WS and comprised the study group (SG) and 15 did not have either the syndrome or hearing complaints and comprised the control group (CG); they were matched for sex and age.

Results:  The LLAEP analysis showed larger P1-N1 and P2-N2 amplitudes but smaller N2-P3 amplitude in SG, which also had delayed latencies in all components compared with CG.

Conclusion:  Adults with WS had increased neuronal response in identifying stimulus characteristics, attentional difficulties in auditory tasks, and deficits in auditory information processing speed.

Background:  Recently, we developed a hearing-related lifestyle questionnaire (HEARLI-Q), which asks respondents to rate their hearing aid (HA) satisfaction in 23 everyday listening situations. It is unknown how HA satisfaction on the retrospective HEARLI-Q scale compares with HA satisfaction measured on the same scale implemented in Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA).

Purpose:  To learn how retrospective (HEARLI-Q) and in situ (EMA) assessments can complement each other.

Research design:  An observational study.

Study sample:  Twenty-one experienced HA users.

Data collection and analysis:  The participants first filled out the HEARLI-Q questionnaire, followed by a 1-week EMA trial using their own HAs. HA satisfaction ratings were compared between the two questionnaires and the underlying drivers of discrepancies in HA satisfaction ratings were evaluated.

Results:  HA satisfaction ratings were significantly higher in EMA for speech communication with one or several people. Hearing difficulty in these situations was rated higher in HEARLI-Q than in EMA, but occurrence of those difficult listening situations was also rated to be lower. When comparing only the situations that occur on daily or weekly basis, the two questionnaires had similar HA satisfaction ratings.

Conclusions:  Lower occurrence of difficult listening situations seems to be the key driver of discrepancies in HA satisfaction ratings between EMA and HEARLI-Q. The advantage of EMA is that it provides insight into an individual's day-to-day life and is not prone to memory bias. HEARLI-Q, on the other hand, can capture situations that occur infrequently or are inconvenient to report in the moment. Administering HEARLI-Q and EMA in combination could give a more holistic view of HA satisfaction.

Background: There have been conflicting results on the effect of auditory stimulation on the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) with some studies indicating suppression, enhancement, or no effect. No studies to date have assessed the effect of sound source location on VOR gain or the relationship between spatial hearing ability and VOR gain.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to determine if VOR gain was affected by moving the location of the sound source within participants and to determine if these effects were related to spatial hearing ability.

Research design: A between subjects repeated measures experimental design was utilized.

Study sample: Two groups of participants (adult and child) with normal otologic, vestibular, and neurologic function. 22 adults (20 female and 2 male; average age = 23 years) and 16 children (9 female and 7 male; average age = 7.5 years) were included in data analysis.

Data collection and analysis: VOR gain was measured using rotational chair stimulation in the following auditory conditions: silent, insert earphones, external loudspeaker at 0° azimuth rotating with participant, and external stationary speaker. Localization ability was measured using root mean square (RMS) error.

Results: Results indicated a significant effect for sound source location on VOR gain and VOR difference gain in both groups. RMS error was positively correlated for the moving and fixed sound source locations for both adults and children.

Conclusion: VOR gain was significantly affected by location of the sound source. Findings suggest the presence and location of an auditory stimulus during rotational testing can alter results during the assessment.