Association between depression and tinnitus in US adults: A nationally representative sample

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has not been previously utilized to study the prevalence of tinnitus and depression among adults over 20 years old, nor the impact of tinnitus on depression.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between tinnitus and depression among adults in the United States.

This cross-sectional study drew upon data from the 2005-2018 NHANES, incorporating adults aged 20 and older who had completed the tinnitus and depression questionnaire. Depression was assessed using the PHQ-9 questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression models, subgroup analyses, and sensitivity analyses were performed to examine the association between tinnitus and depression.

This nationally representative study included 10,409 participants, of whom 17.69% reported experiencing tinnitus. The prevalence of depression was 6.2% among those without tinnitus and 15.1% among those with tinnitus (p < .0001). Accounting for potential confounders such as demographic and socioeconomic variables, participants who experienced tinnitus were more likely to exhibit depression symptoms (adjusted odds ratio = 2.0, 95% confidence interval = 1.61-2.48). Subgroup analyses further suggested that tinnitus was associated with an increased prevalence of depression across all subgroups. Sensitivity analysis affirmed these findings.

This study suggests that there is a significant association between tinnitus and the risk of depression in the adult population of the United States, emphasizing the importance of psychological factors in the clinical management of tinnitus.

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