Social Network Characteristics and Their Relations to Speech Recognition and Quality of Life in Adult Cochlear...

This exploratory study investigates whether social network characteristics are associated with adult cochlear implant (CI) outcomes. Specifically, it examines how both social network size and diversity, including the ages and accents of frequent communication partners, relate to word and sentence recognition, subjective communication abilities, and hearing-related quality of life (QoL) in adult CI users.

Twenty-six adult CI users (M_age = 67 years) with over 1 year of CI experience participated. Social network metrics were derived from responses to a lab-developed questionnaire. Participants completed word and sentence recognition tasks in quiet and multi-talker babble (MTB) conditions and self-reported measures of communication abilities (Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale [SSQ]) and QoL (Cochlear Implant Quality of Life-35 Profile questionnaire). Auditory spectro-temporal resolution was evaluated with the Spectral-Temporally Modulated Ripple Test (SMRT). Partial Spearman correlations were used to examine associations between social network characteristics and outcomes, controlling for SMRT. Exploratory subgroup analyses were also conducted based on high versus low auditory spectro-temporal resolution.

Greater age diversity within participants' social networks was moderately associated with more accurate word recognition (in both quiet and MTB), sentence recognition in MTB, and higher SSQ and Cochlear Implant Quality of Life global scores. Exploratory analyses suggested stronger associations between age diversity and word recognition for participants with higher auditory spectro-temporal resolution. No consistent associations were observed for social network size or accent diversity.

Findings suggest that exposure to age diversity among everyday communication partners in the social network may be associated with more successful communication and QoL outcomes in adult CI users, particularly for those with better auditory spectral resolution. While causality cannot be inferred, social networks may represent a modifiable and clinically relevant factor for supporting adult CI users in real-world settings.