Hearing impairment, coping and perceived hearing handicap in middle-aged subjects with acquired hearing loss

Coping strategies are presumed to be modifying factors between a hearing impairment and the perceived handicap. The focus of this investigation was to explore audiological and psychological factors affecting the perceived handicap in hearing-impaired middle-aged subjects. The Hearing Measurement Scale, supplemented by a subjective estimation of the perceived handicap, was used as the dependent variable in a study of 62 subjects, heterogeneous as to type and severity of hearing loss and to hearing aid use. In a stepwise regression analysis, maladaptive communication strategies as well as active and constructive coping behaviours were found to increase the self-perception of hearing handicap. Other significant variables were severity of hearing loss and years of education. Tinnitus symptoms did not contribute to the explained variance in the perceived handicap, which was an unexpected finding. A conclusion that may be drawn from the present study is that active coping strategies tend to focus attention on disability and thereby increase perceived handicap.