Sensitivity and specificity of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ5) for screening hearing in adults

Abstract

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.

New horizons in holistic, person-centred health promotion for hearing healthcare

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Dificuldades de adultos ouvintes em situações cotidianas de escuta

“…A detecção precoce da deficiência auditiva é fundamental para evitar prejuízos comunicativos e psicossociais que impactam na qualidade de vida. Este cenário justifica a triagem auditiva em adultos e, nesse sentido, questionários autoaplicáveis podem ser utilizados, visto que dispensam a necessidade de um ambiente acusticamente controlado ou equipamento e profissionais especializados 10 .…”

Difficulties of normally-hearing adults in daily listening situations

“…The early detection of hearing impairment is fundamental in order to prevent communicative and psychosocial damages, which affect the quality of life. That scenario justifies hearing screening in adults and, in that sense, self-reported questionnaires can be used, as they do not require acoustically controlled environment or specialized equipment and professionals 10 .…”