Impact of Cochlear Implantation on Quality of Life in Chinese Americans

To investigate the quality of life (QOL) of adult Mandarin-speaking Chinese Americans after cochlear implantation (CI) using the cross-culturally adapted Chinese Cochlear Implant Quality of Life-10 (CIQOL-10) Global.

Cross-sectional.

Tertiary care neurotology practice in New York City.

Thirty adult Mandarin-speaking Chinese Americans (22.8-89.4 yr, mean 48.9 yr) with prelingual (12) or postlingual (18) deafness who underwent CI between 1995 and 2020. All patients were at least 1 year from CI activation.

CI.

Chinese CIQOL-10 Global score.

There were no detectable differences in mean Chinese CIQOL-10 Global scores between the prelingual (mean 51.9, SD 11.0) and postlingual (mean 44.0, SD 16.4) cohorts (p = 0.1; 95% CI, -2.3 to 18.1; Hedges' g = 0.5). Comparison of the overall cohort (mean 47.1, SD 14.8) with previously published CIQOL-10 Global scores of English-speaking American CI users (mean 51.5, SD 10.4) demonstrated a significant difference (p = 0.02; 95% CI, 0.4-8.4; Hedges' g = 0.4). For the overall cohort, multivariable analysis demonstrated that combined household income (p = 0.007, β = 7.4; 95% CI, 0.7-14.0) was positively associated with Chinese CIQOL-10 Global scores.

This study is the first to evaluate QOL after CI in Mandarin-speaking Chinese American adults. The CIQOL-10 Global scores of Mandarin-speaking Chinese Americans CI users are significantly worse than those of English-speaking American CI users. Combined household income may be positively associated with QOL in the Mandarin-speaking Chinese American CI population. More resources are needed to assess outcomes and support rehabilitation in this population.