Auditory and Cognitive Attributes of Hearing Aid Acclimatization in Individuals With Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Purpose The study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of perceived benefit of hearing aid acclimatization. Specifically, measures in the auditory and cognitive domain were tapped to investigate its relationship with the perceived benefit. Method Twenty-six individuals with sensorineural hearing loss served as participants for the study. The perceived benefit of hearing aid use was assessed using the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ; Gatehouse & Noble, 2004). Signal-to-noise ratio-50 (SNR-50) and acceptable noise levels were the measures in auditory domain, whereas working memory and listening effort (LE) were the measures in cognitive domain. All the measures were tracked over a span of 2 months of hearing aid use to determine the benefits of hearing aid acclimatization. Results The SSQ showed improvements from baseline to 2nd month of hearing aid use. The mean improvement in the SNR-50 scores was 3.19 dB from the baseline. Acceptable noise levels and working memory did not change with hearing aid use. LE showed improvements in quiet but not in noise. The improvements in the SSQ were found to relate with the improvements in SNR-50. Conclusions The study indicated a significant perceived benefit with hearing aid acclimatization, and the underlying mechanism appears to be the signal-to-noise ratio gain. The findings of LE indicated reduced LE, thereby suggesting lesser cognitive load with hearing aid acclimatization. In addition, the individuals who performed poorer in the baseline measurement showed greater perceived benefit with hearing aid acclimatization. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9253175.