Associations between illness perceptions, word recognition, and perceived sound quality in cochlear implant users

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Psychology
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Illness perceptions influence how individuals cope with and experience health conditions.
• Cochlear implants (CIs) aim to restore hearing, but subjective sound quality varies among users.
• Understanding factors affecting sound quality is crucial for improving CI outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between cochlear implant users' illness perceptions and their self-perceived sound quality.
• To determine if illness perceptions are more influential than monosyllabic word recognition on sound quality.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 55 unilateral CI users during routine check-ups.
• Data collection included the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and Hearing Implant Sound Quality Index.
• Monosyllabic word recognition was assessed using the Freiburg Monosyllable Word Test.
• Hierarchical regression analysis modeled the predictors of subjective sound quality.

Main Results:

• Monosyllabic word recognition was initially significant in predicting sound quality.
• Illness perceptions emerged as a significant predictor when included alongside word recognition.
• The combined model explained 22% of the variance in self-perceived sound quality.

Conclusions:

• Both monosyllabic word recognition and illness perceptions are relevant to CI users' sound quality.
• Illness perceptions appear to be a potentially more significant factor influencing self-reported sound quality in CI users.