Acceptance of Tinnitus As an Independent Correlate of Tinnitus Severity

Hesser, Hugo; Bånkestad, Ellinor; Andersson, Gerhard

doi:10.1097/aud.0000000000000148

Cited by 27 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…One of the survey respondents who rated tinnitus as “not a problem” also commented: “the…[TCQ] questionnaire I found quite difficult as I just don’t think about these things, I felt that my responses might come over as negative when actually I just do not have these thoughts about tinnitus at all.” Similar conclusions have been drawn from research into the concept of tinnitus acceptance, which can be defined as “an open, mindful and nonevaluative approach to internal experiences” (Hesser et al 2012, p. 650). In questionnaire studies, both Hesser et al (2015) and Riedl et al (2015) found tinnitus acceptance to be negatively correlated with tinnitus distress. In other words, people who were not very distressed by their tinnitus tended not to become engaged in thinking about it.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Positive and Negative Thinking in Tinnitus: Factor Structure of the Tinnitus Cognitions Questionnaire

et al. 2017

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Objectives:Researchers and clinicians consider thinking to be important in the development and maintenance of tinnitus distress, and altering thoughts or thinking style is an object of many forms of psychological therapy for tinnitus. Those working with people with tinnitus require a reliable, psychometrically robust means of measuring both positive and negative thinking related to it. The Tinnitus Cognitions Questionnaire (TCQ) was designed as such a measure and its authors showed it to be reliable, with good psychometric properties. However, no research teams have yet carried out independent validation. This study aimed to use the TCQ to investigate thinking amongst members of the general population with both bothersome and nonbothersome tinnitus and also to verify its factor structure.Design:Three hundred forty-two members of the public with tinnitus completed the TCQ online or on paper. They also rated their tinnitus on a scale as “not a problem,” “a small problem,” “a moderate problem,” “a big problem,” or a “very big problem.” The authors tested the original factor structure of the TCQ using confirmatory factor analysis and then calculated the mean scores for each item, comparing mean total scores across “problem categories” for the full questionnaire and for the positive and negative subscales.Results:The original two-factor structure of the TCQ was a good fit to the data when the correlation between positive and negative factors was fixed at zero (root mean square error of approximation = 0.064, 90% confidence interval = 0.058 to 0.070). Items pertaining to wishing the tinnitus would go away and despairing that it would ever get better had the highest mean scores. The mean total score for the “no problem” group (M = 31.17, SD = 16.03) was not significantly different from the mean total score for the “small problem” group (M = 34.00, SD = 12.44, p = 0.99). Differences between mean scores for all other groups were statistically significant. For the negative subscale, differences were statistically significant between all problem categories. For the positive subscale, the differences between mean scores were only statistically significant for the “no problem” group (M = 28.40, SD = 17.11) compared with the “moderate problem” group (M = 18.55, SD = 8.64, p = 0.02) and for the “moderate problem” group compared with the “very big problem” group (M = 26.79, SD = 11.66, p = 0.002). Positive and negative factors were uncorrelated (ρ = −0.03.)Conclusions:The TCQ is a valid measure of positive and negative thinking in tinnitus, and the authors recommend its use in research and therapeutic settings. Negative thinking appears to be associated with more problematic tinnitus, but positive thinking is not associated with unproblematic tinnitus, suggesting that reducing negative thinking may be more important than teaching positive thinking in therapy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Positive and Negative Thinking in Tinnitus: Factor Structure of the Tinnitus Cognitions Questionnaire

et al. 2017

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“…In other words, we need to identify factors that may contribute to the relationship between anxiety and tinnitus, such as latent traits or states that may help explain this relationship. It is also important to consider an individual's response to the daily experience of tinnitus since coping strategies, such as acceptance, have been found to be more adaptive for people living with chronic tinnitus (Hesser et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological mediators of chronic tinnitus: The critical role of depression

Trevis

McLachlan

Wilson

2016

Journal of Affective Disorders

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“…Moreover, Sullivan and colleagues [23] also reported that those with depression associated with tinnitus used less problemsolving active coping strategies than those who were not depressed. On the other hand, habituation and tinnitus acceptance has been found to relate to lower tinnitus distress, reduced anxiety and depression and better long-term outcomes [56,57].…”

Section: Coping Stylesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Situationally influenced tinnitus coping strategies: a mixed methods approach

Beukes

Manchaiah

Andersson

et al. 2017

Disability and Rehabilitation

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tinnitus coping strategies: A mixed methods approach AbstractPurpose The primary aim of this study was to identify coping strategies used to manage problematic tinnitus situations. A secondary aim was to determine whether different approaches were related to the level of tinnitus distress, anxiety, depression and insomnia experienced. Results There were 240 participants (137 males, 103 females), with an average age of 48.16 years (SD: 22.70). Qualitative content analysis identified eight problematic tinnitus situations. Participants had either habituated to their tinnitus (7.9%), used active (63.3%) or passive (28.8%) coping styles to manage these situations. Those who had habituated to tinnitus or used active coping strategies had lower levels of tinnitus distress, anxiety, and depression. Materials and Methods ConclusionsThe main problematic tinnitus situations for this cohort were identified. Both active and passive coping styles were applied to approach these situations. The coping strategies used most frequently and utilised in the widest range of problematic situations were using sound enrichment and diverting attention..

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Acceptance of Tinnitus As an Independent Correlate of Tinnitus Severity

Abstract: Findings add to the growing body of work, supporting the unique and important role of acceptance in tinnitus severity. The utility of the concept is discussed in relation to the development of new psychological models and interventions for tinnitus severity.

Cited by 27 publications

References 35 publications

Positive and Negative Thinking in Tinnitus: Factor Structure of the Tinnitus Cognitions Questionnaire

Positive and Negative Thinking in Tinnitus: Factor Structure of the Tinnitus Cognitions Questionnaire

Psychological mediators of chronic tinnitus: The critical role of depression

Situationally influenced tinnitus coping strategies: a mixed methods approach

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