Experimental Health Psychology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Research Group Health Psychology, KU Leuven University, Belgium.
Ear Hear. 2022 Jan/Feb;43(1):45-52. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000001054.
Traditional methods of self-report assessments are susceptible to bias (i.e., memory, recall, and recency). Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) may curb these biases by repeated momentary assessment of the participant throughout the day. High costs and participant burden may, however, impede the use of EMA. End-of-day diary (EDD) provides an attractive alternative to EMA, though no direct comparison has been performed in the tinnitus field.
Four thousand seven-hundred thirty-two data entries were collected from nine participants undergoing cognitive behavioral treatment for tinnitus. Eleven equivalent EMA and EDD items were collected for approximately 3 months. Tinnitus experience (i.e., anger, annoyance, avoidance, distraction, fear, invasiveness, pleasantness, and sadness) and well-being (i.e., anxiety, happiness, and stress) were correlated and means compared (t-tests).
All variables presented adequate correlation (r > 0.68) between the EMA and EDD counterparts. Small (<3.9%) significant daily mean differences between EMA and EDD were found for six variables (tinnitus anger, invasiveness, pleasantness, sadness, as well as anxiety and stress) with worse results reported in EDD.
The small significant effects found may be attributed to the large number of data points. When EMA is not possible or recommended, EDD provides a viable alternative to assess tinnitus experience daily. Further research on the underlying mechanisms of tinnitus experience and recollection is warranted.
传统的自我报告评估方法容易受到偏差的影响（即记忆、回忆和最近）。生态瞬间评估（EMA）可以通过在一天中反复对参与者进行瞬间评估来抑制这些偏差。然而，高成本和参与者负担可能会阻碍 EMA 的使用。每日结束时的日记（EDD）提供了 EMA 的一个有吸引力的替代方案，尽管在耳鸣领域尚未进行直接比较。
从接受认知行为治疗的 9 名耳鸣患者中收集了 4732 个数据条目。大约 3 个月内收集了 11 个等效的 EMA 和 EDD 项目。耳鸣体验（即愤怒、烦恼、回避、分心、恐惧、侵扰性、愉悦性和悲伤）和幸福感（即焦虑、幸福和压力）进行了相关性分析和均值比较（t 检验）。
所有变量在 EMA 和 EDD 对应物之间都呈现出足够的相关性（r > 0.68）。在 EMA 和 EDD 之间发现了六个变量（耳鸣愤怒、侵扰性、愉悦性、悲伤以及焦虑和压力）的每日平均差异较小（<3.9%），EDD 报告的结果较差。
发现的小显著影响可能归因于大量的数据点。当 EMA 不可行或不推荐时，EDD 提供了一种可行的替代方法，可每天评估耳鸣体验。需要进一步研究耳鸣体验和回忆的潜在机制。
