Purpose: to assess the effect of age, schooling and hearing loss on temporal processing in elderly.Methods: a total of 30 elderly subjects were assessed comprising 15 with hearing loss (Group 1) and 15 with normal hearing (Group 2). Participants were submitted to audiological assessment, cognitive screening and assessment of temporal processing (resolution and temporal sequencing). Results: the groups differed for schooling and age, with Group 1 subjects being older (p=0.024) and having less schooling (p=0.002). Group 1 subjects also had higher gaps-in-noise (GIN) detection thresholds and lower GIN detection percentage compared to the performance of Group 2 subjects (GIN Threshold p=0.002; GIN % p=0.005). Participants from both groups had similar performance for temporal sequencing ability (p=0.691). In this sample, a negative correlation was found between schooling and temporal acuity threshold (p=0.045), i.e. the higher the schooling (in years) the lower the gap detection threshold. Conclusion: hearing loss had a negative effect on the performance of elderly on temporal resolution tasks. This effect can be more marked in individuals with lower schooling. These same results were not found for the temporal sequencing task. Keywords: Hearing; Aging; Hearing Loss; Auditory Perceptual Disorders RESUMO Objetivo: avaliar o efeito da perda auditiva, escolaridade e idade no processamento temporal de idosos. Métodos: foram avaliados 30 idosos, 15 com perda auditiva e baixa escolaridade e (Grupo 1) e 15 com audição normal e maior escolaridade (Grupo 2). Os participantes foram submetidos a avaliação audioló-gica, triagem cognitiva e avaliação do processamento temporal (resolução e ordenação temporal).Resultados: nota-se que os além da escolaridade os grupos se diferem em relação a idade, os idosos do Grupo 1 são mais velhos (p=0,024) e menos escolarizados (p=0.002). Os idosos do Grupo 1 apresentaram maior limiar e menor porcentagem de reconhecimento de gaps no ruido quando comparados ao desempenho dos idosos do Grupo 2 (GIN Limiar p=0,002; GIN % p=0,005). Os participantes de ambos os grupos apresentaram desempenhos similares na habilidade de ordenação temporal (p=0,691). Nesta amostra houve correlação negativa entre escolaridade e limiar de acuidade temporal (p=0,045), ou seja, quanto maior a escolaridade (em anos) menor o limiar de reconhecimento de gaps. Apesar dos grupos serem distintos em relação a faixa etaria, a idade dos idosos não afetou o desempenho para os testes comportamentais do processamento temporal. Conclusão: Idosos com perda de audição e menor escolaridade apresentam maior prejuizo na habilidade de resolução temporal. Não houve correlação da idade com desempenho nos testes temporais.

Introduction:The Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) is a questionnaire that assesses subjective experience and quantifies hearing disabilities in communication situations. Purpose: To carry out a pilot study of a short version of the SSQ questionnaire in Brazilian Portuguese to measure hearing disability resulting from hearing loss. Methods: We selected 30 individuals, 12 males and 18 females, aged 18 to 89 years, with average education of nine years. The subjects underwent pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry tests and immittance measurements. Participants were divided into two groups according to hearing threshold, comprising 15 with normal hearing (NL) and 15 with hearing loss (HL). All participants answered the SSQ questionnaire -short version (12 items) -in the form of an interview, rating their communication performance in all situations assessed with a score of 0 to 10. Results: The mean scores obtained were 6.68 and 4.13 for the NL and HL groups, respectively. Individuals with hearing loss had lower scores than subjects with normal hearing. A high Cronbach's alpha coefficient was found in both groups, demonstrating good internal consistency between the different items of the questionnaire. Conclusion: The short version of the SSQ in Brazilian Portuguese was sensitive in differentiating the performance of individuals with and without hearing loss, confirming its potential for assessing limitations in hearing and communication activities experienced by hearing-impaired individuals in their everyday lives.

Introduction  The Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) is a questionnaire designed to assess the auditory experience and quantify hearing disabilities in realistic communication situations, with particular attention to binaural hearing. Objective  To determine the test-retest reliability of the SSQ in Brazilian Portuguese. Method  A total of 35 individuals with mean age of 61 years and mean education of 7 years were interviewed. The mean auditory threshold was 44.29 dBNA in the best ear and 58.04 dBNA in the worst ear. The SSQ in Portuguese was applied at two time points, test and retest. An interval of 7 to 20 days between interviews was established. The level of significance adopted was 0.05, or 5%. Results  The analysis revealed a high Cronbach α coefficient for the three domains and for the general component of the scale, demonstrating good internal consistency between the items. In addition, a significant strong correlation was detected between test and retest of the SSQ on the analysis by domain and for the general component of the scale. A significant moderate-to-strong correlation between test and retest by question was found, except for question 2 of Part I. Conclusion  The test-retest reliability indicators showed good stability of the Portuguese version of the SSQ, indicating that the scale is suitable for use in the hearing-impaired population in Brazil.

Purpose To investigate the sensitivity and specificity of 5 questions of the SSQ in Brazilian Portuguese for its application as a hearing screening instrument in adults. Methods A total of 135 adults with a mean age of 49.6 years and education of 9 years took part in the study. All subjects underwent hearing tests and were divided into 2 groups according to hearing acuity: G1 – 66 individuals with normal hearing on audiometric test: and G2 – 69 participants with impaired hearing on audiometric evaluation in one or both ears. The 5 items of the SSQ5, derived from the Brazilian Portuguese version of the SSQ49 were applied. The level of significance was set at a p-value ≤ 0.05, with a 95% confidence interval. Results G1 subjects were younger and higher educated (p<0.01). A weak positive correlation was found between education and SSQ5 score only in G1. In G2, there was no correlation of age or education with SSQ5 performance. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the relationship between SSQ5 and audiometric average was 0.854 and p-value was <0.001 with bounds of 0.79 and 0.91. SSQ5 scores were lower in G2 (p<0.001). The cut-off point with optimal balance between sensitivity and specificity was 7.3, yielding 80% accuracy, 81.8% sensitivity and 78.3% specificity. Conclusion The Brazilian Portuguese version of the SSQ5 proved suitable for screening hearing loss in adults, offering good accuracy, sensitivity and specificity for detecting hearing loss.