Evaluation of Speech-In-Noise Skills with Temporal Fine Structure Test in Patients with Depression

Communication between individuals is based on communication in noisy environments. However, audiological tests used for the evaluation of hearing levels or determination of hearing loss are usually applied in a quiet environment. This study aims to evaluate whether depression has an effect on speech-in-noise perception and supra-threshold auditory processing abilities, even in individuals without advanced age or hearing loss.

The study group comprised 29 individuals who did not have hearing loss but were diagnosed with depression. The control group consisted of 29 individuals who did not have hearing loss or a depression diagnosis. All participants underwent the Temporal Fine Structure adaptive frequency (TFS-AF) test to assess supra-threshold auditory processing abilities. The results were then compared between the study and control groups.

The study revealed significant differences in TFS sensitivity scores between the study and control groups, with test scores in the depression group being significantly lower than those in the control group (p=0.000).

Depression can significantly affect auditory performance. Depression, alongside factors like hearing loss and aging, can impact auditory functions like speech intelligibility. Therefore, a more holistic approach that considers emotional status is essential for comprehensively evaluating listening skills and auditory functions, even in individuals without hearing loss.