Bennett Rebecca J, Meyer Carly J, Ryan Brooke, Barr Caitlin, Laird Emma, Eikelboom Robert H
Ear Science Institute Australia, Subiaco, Western Australia.
Ear Sciences Centre, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia.
Am J Audiol. 2020 Jun 8;29(2):129-142. doi: 10.1044/2019_AJA-19-00087. Epub 2020 Mar 16.
Purpose Emotional and mental health is essential to overall health, but there has been little research on how to approach emotional and mental health in the audiology setting. This study provides a preliminary investigation into the current knowledge, beliefs, and practices of Australian audiologists in addressing the emotional and mental health needs of adults with hearing loss. Method A 22-item survey using open- and closed-ended questions was completed by 95 Australian audiologists using a cross-sectional study design. Results Two thirds of audiologists described being underconfident and lacking the skills required to provide emotional support to people with hearing loss. Barriers to delivering emotional support included feeling out of their depth (56.6%), time/caseload pressures (55.3%), and the perception that the provision of emotional support was not within an audiologist's scope of practice (31.6%). Audiologists described a desire to refer clients to mental health professionals yet highlighted significant barriers, including not knowing who to refer to (54.7%), when to make a referral (49.3%), or how to make a referral (38.6%). Audiologists overwhelmingly (96%) indicated that they would like to develop their knowledge and skills associated with the provision of emotional and mental health support in the audiological setting. Conclusion Knowledge, skills, and time were identified as the key areas that require attention in order to allow audiologists to address the emotional and mental health needs of adults with hearing loss.
目的 情绪和心理健康对整体健康至关重要，但在听力学环境中如何处理情绪和心理健康方面的研究很少。本研究对澳大利亚听力学家在满足成年听力损失患者情绪和心理健康需求方面的现有知识、信念和实践进行了初步调查。方法 采用横断面研究设计，95名澳大利亚听力学家完成了一项包含开放式和封闭式问题的22项调查问卷。结果 三分之二的听力学家表示信心不足，缺乏为听力损失患者提供情感支持所需的技能。提供情感支持的障碍包括感觉力不从心（56.6%）、时间/工作量压力（55.3%）以及认为提供情感支持不在听力学家的执业范围内（31.6%）。听力学家表示希望将患者转介给心理健康专业人员，但也强调了重大障碍，包括不知道该转介给谁（54.7%）、何时转介（49.3%）或如何转介（38.6%）。绝大多数听力学家（96%）表示，他们希望在听力学环境中培养与提供情绪和心理健康支持相关的知识和技能。结论 知识、技能和时间被确定为需要关注的关键领域，以便听力学家能够满足成年听力损失患者的情绪和心理健康需求。
