Personality, Hearing Problems, and Amplification Characteristics: Contributions to Self-Report Hearing Aid Outcomes

Abstract

As reported in previous research, personality is associated with self-report outcome data. However, if practitioners utilize existing measures of hearing problems at the prefitting stage, separate personality data will not yield additional leverage in prediction of long-term fitting outcomes. Traditional fitting verification data as measured in this study, proved minimally useful in prediction of long-term outcomes of the fitting. A large proportion of variance in self-report fitting outcomes has yet to be accounted for. Finally, it appears that certain types of questionnaires might be more appropriate for research evaluating new amplification devices, whereas a different questionnaire approach might be optimal for evaluating intervention effectiveness in a clinical context.

Avaliação da satisfação do usuário de aparelho de amplificação sonora

“…The instructions and items related to the questionnaire were read aloud by the speech therapist who pointed out the alternative answers to be given by the subjects and who avoided not relevant comments in order to preserve the accuracy of the answers obtained. The replies to the questionnaire were analyzed by assigning a score to each one, and the total score and the score related to two factors were considered 23 : factor 1, which reflects the interaction of the individual with his HA (questions 1, 2, 4, and 7, with a score ranging from 4 to 20), and factor 2, related to the interaction of the individual with other people in his environment (questions 3, 5 and 6, with a score ranging from 3 to 15). Then, the "Factor 1 ", "Factor 2" and "Total" variables were compared according to "gender", "age", "time of the hearing loss", "side of HA adaptation (in the presence of unilateral use of the HA)", "time of HA use" and "HA category" (classification of the Unified Health System: A -analogic, B -programmable and C -digital) 18,19 .…”

Sounds perceived as annoying by hearing-aid users in their daily soundscape

“…Cox et al, 2007), but rarely assess aspects of sound quality, disturbance or annoyance. For example, the widely used APHAB (Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit) questionnaire (Cox & Alexander, 1995) includes aversiveness of sounds as one of four main dimensions assessed, but does not gather in-depth information into this aspect even if the general finding is that aided listening increases the aversiveness of sounds.…”

Managing Age-Related Hearing Loss: How to Use Hearing Aids Efficiently - A Mini-Review

“…Some studies have focused on the prediction of behavioural indicators of hearing aid use, such as the duration or frequency of use, while other studies have predicted evaluative indicators, such as satisfaction with the hearing aid. For example, hearing aids have been found to be used more frequently when there is greater social control [4] and greater cognitive capacity [5], and satisfaction with hearing aids is stronger when individuals hold more positive attitudes [6]. Following these lines of research, we review the literature on predictors of improved use and satisfaction with hearing aids.…”