Hake Robin, Kreutz Gunter, Frischen Ulrike, Schlender Merle, Rois-Merz Esther, Meis Markus, Wagener Kirsten C, Siedenburg Kai
Department of Medical Physics and Acoustics, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
Institute of Music, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
Trends Hear. 2024 Jan-Dec;28:23312165241293762. doi: 10.1177/23312165241293762.
Hearing health, a cornerstone for musical performance and appreciation, often stands at odds with the unique acoustical challenges that musicians face. Utilizing a cross-sectional design, this survey-based study presents an in-depth examination of self-rated hearing health and its contributing factors in 370 professional and 401 amateur musicians recruited from German-speaking orchestras. To probe the nuanced differences between these groups, a balanced subsample of 200 professionals and 200 amateurs was curated, matched based on age, gender, and instrument family. The findings revealed that two-thirds of respondents reported hearing-related issues, prevalent in both professional and amateur musicians and affecting music-related activities as well as social interactions. The comparative analysis indicates that professionals experienced nearly four times more lifetime music noise exposure compared to amateurs and faced more hearing challenges in social contexts, but not in musical settings. Professionals exhibited greater awareness about hearing health and were more proactive in using hearing protection devices compared to their amateur counterparts. Notably, only 9% of professional musicians' playing hours and a mere 1% of amateurs' playing hours were fully protected. However, with respect to their attitudes toward hearing aids, professional musicians exhibited a noticeable aversion. In general, an increase in music-related problems (alongside hearing difficulties in daily life) was associated with a decrease in mental health-related quality of life. This research highlights the importance of proactive hearing health measures among both professional and amateur musicians and underscores the need for targeted interventions that address musicians' specific hearing health challenges and stigmatization concerns about hearing aids.
听力健康是音乐表演和欣赏的基石，但往往与音乐家面临的独特声学挑战相矛盾。本项基于调查的研究采用横断面设计，对从德语地区管弦乐队招募的370名专业音乐家和401名业余音乐家的自评听力健康及其影响因素进行了深入研究。为探究这两组之间的细微差异，精心挑选了一个由200名专业人员和200名业余人员组成的平衡子样本，根据年龄、性别和乐器种类进行匹配。研究结果显示，三分之二的受访者报告了与听力相关的问题，在专业和业余音乐家中都很普遍，影响了与音乐相关的活动以及社交互动。比较分析表明，与业余音乐家相比，专业音乐家一生接触音乐噪音的次数几乎多四倍，并且在社交场合面临更多听力挑战，但在音乐演奏环境中并非如此。与业余同行相比，专业音乐家对听力健康的意识更强，在使用听力保护设备方面也更积极主动。值得注意的是，专业音乐家中只有9%的演奏时间、业余音乐家中只有1%的演奏时间得到了充分保护。然而，在对助听器的态度方面，专业音乐家表现出明显的反感。总体而言，与音乐相关的问题（以及日常生活中的听力困难）的增加与心理健康相关生活质量的下降有关。这项研究强调了专业和业余音乐家采取积极听力健康措施的重要性，并强调需要有针对性的干预措施，以应对音乐家特定的听力健康挑战以及对助听器的污名化担忧。
