Beyond the Audiogram: Psychosocial Barriers to Hearing Aid Use in Presbycusis

This cross-sectional study investigated audiological and psychosocial factors associated with hearing aid use preferences among 57 individuals with presbycusis who accepted (n = 37) or refused (n = 20) hearing aids. The refusal group was older and had greater hearing loss. Social loneliness was significantly higher among individuals refusing hearing aids, whereas depression and emotional loneliness did not differ between groups. Exploratory logistic regression showed that older age, male gender, and higher social loneliness were associated with hearing aid refusal. These findings suggest that psychosocial factors, particularly social loneliness, may contribute to hearing aid use preferences beyond audiological severity alone.  .