A survey of New Zealanders with tinnitus

A sample of 338 New Zealanders regularly experiencing tinnitus completed questionnaires posted to associations for people with tinnitus or hearing impairment. Nearly half the sample was sometimes depressed by tinnitus; those reporting depression and those reporting more severe problems as a consequence of their tinnitus saw more health-care professionals and used more coping strategies. Most respondents did not remember exactly when they first noticed their tinnitus; those that did reported a range of events that might have precipitated it. Respondents who sought medical help generally rated professionals as sympathetic, but few had been offered effective treatment. Comparison of the tinnitus sample with a sample of university students and staff indicated that though the respondents of the university sample often had some experience of tinnitus they reported sensations rather different from those of the tinnitus sample.