De Iorio Monica L, Rapport Lisa J, Wong Christina G, Stach Brad A
Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI.
Am J Audiol. 2019 Jun 10;28(2):384-390. doi: 10.1044/2019_AJA-18-0152. Epub 2019 May 14.
Purpose Early detection of hearing loss is important for providing support and intervention for adults with age-related hearing loss. However, many older adults have hearing loss that is unidentified. Because they do not present the problem at health care settings, there is a dearth of research on people with unrecognized hearing loss (URHL). This study elucidates differences between older adults with normal hearing, adults with recognized hearing loss (RHL), and adults with URHL. Method Participants included 130 adults, ages 55-85 years. Of these, 39 had hearing in the normal range (HNR), 61 had RHL, and 30 reported HNR but failed a hearing screen (i.e., URHL). Participants completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988 ) and a battery of neuropsychological tests. Results The URHL group reported more positive affectivity than the HNR and RHL groups on the PANAS. In addition, the URHL group was significantly older and more likely to be male compared to the HNR group. Importantly, age was not significantly correlated with PANAS. Positive affectivity accounted for unique variance in group membership even after accounting for age, gender, physical health, and cognitive health. Conclusions Older adults with URHL have more positive affectivity than older adults with HNR or RHL. This group may be prone to downplaying their difficulties; consequently, they may need to experience larger hearing deficits before seeking help. The findings highlight the need for research investigating the effectiveness of psychoeducation on the importance of formal hearing assessment verses relying on self-assessment in facilitating early and effective intervention among people with URHL.
目的 早期发现听力损失对于为患有年龄相关性听力损失的成年人提供支持和干预至关重要。然而，许多老年人存在未被识别的听力损失。由于他们在医疗保健机构未提及该问题，因此针对未被识别的听力损失（URHL）人群的研究匮乏。本研究阐明了听力正常的老年人、已识别听力损失（RHL）的成年人和URHL成年人之间的差异。方法 参与者包括130名年龄在55 - 85岁之间的成年人。其中，39人听力在正常范围内（HNR），61人有RHL，30人报告听力正常但听力筛查未通过（即URHL）。参与者完成了正负性情绪量表（PANAS；Watson、Clark和Tellegen，1988）以及一系列神经心理学测试。结果 在PANAS上，URHL组报告的积极情感比HNR组和RHL组更多。此外，与HNR组相比，URHL组年龄显著更大且更可能为男性。重要的是，年龄与PANAS无显著相关性。即使在考虑了年龄、性别、身体健康和认知健康因素后，积极情感仍在组间差异中占独特方差。结论 与听力正常或有RHL的老年人相比，URHL老年人具有更多的积极情感。该群体可能倾向于淡化自身困难；因此，他们可能在出现更大听力缺陷后才会寻求帮助。研究结果凸显了开展研究的必要性，即调查心理教育对于正式听力评估重要性的有效性，而非依赖自我评估，以促进对URHL人群的早期有效干预。
