Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 31, 2025
06:04
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
466
Working-age first-time hearing aid users' self-reported outcomes
Minna Laakso1, Jari Lipsanen1, Kati Pajo1,2
1Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
International Journal of Audiology
|August 22, 2022
Summary
Younger adults with hearing aids (HAs) reported better outcomes and improved social function. Early rehabilitation supporting realistic expectations is key for successful hearing aid use.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Rehabilitation Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Hearing aid (HA) use is common for adult-onset hearing loss.
- Understanding patient-reported outcomes and functioning is crucial for effective rehabilitation.
- Factors influencing HA success, particularly in working-age adults, require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess hearing aid (HA) rehabilitation outcomes and social-communicative functioning.
- To explore patient expectations and experiences during eight months of HA use.
- To identify demographic and audiological factors associated with HA outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized three self-report instruments: International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA), Quantified Denver Scale of Communicative Function (QDS), and pre/post-rehabilitation expectation questionnaires.
- Administered questionnaires to 144 patients (ages 23-66) with mild-to-moderate, adult-onset, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss using their first HAs.
- Analyzed self-reported data on HA outcomes, social-communicative functioning, and expectations.
Main Results:
- Patients reported good HA rehabilitation outcomes and improved social-communicative functioning at one and eight months.
- Younger age and positive HA expectations were significantly associated with better outcomes and functioning.
- Hearing loss severity, HA type, or number of HAs did not influence outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Working-age adults may experience better HA outcomes due to work-related motivations.
- Early rehabilitation focusing on positive, realistic expectations is essential for successful HA adoption.
- Younger individuals and those with positive expectations benefit most from HA rehabilitation.
Related Concept Videos
01:31Hearing
53.0K
When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
53.0K
01:17Auditory Perception
570
The auditory system is essential for sound perception, utilizing various critical structures. When sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then transmitted to the middle ear, where three tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – amplify the sound. This amplification is crucial, as it ensures that the sound vibrations are strong enough to be conveyed to the inner ear. These vibrations then reach the...
570