Assessment of the socio-emotional state of persons with presbyacusia using hearing amplification

Abstract

Introduction/Objective. Presbycusis or senile hearing loss is a physiological phenomenon that manifests as a gradual effect of hearing loss in adults. The aim of this work is to examine the socio-emotional state of elderly people with hearing loss. Methods. The research was conducted at the Department of Audiology and Vestibulology of the Zemun Clinical Hospital Center. A subjective assessment was conducted using the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly – HHIE scale. This questionnaire is designed to assess the emotional and social functioning of people with presbycusis and to monitor the effect of auditory rehabilitation. Basic data were obtained through audiological diagnostics, questionnaires and interviews with respondents. Results. 120 subjects participated in this research, 60 subjects with senile hearing loss using auditory amplification and 60 subjects with senile hearing loss without hearing amplification. In subjects with auditory amplification, there is no statistically significant difference in the results of the HHIE at the beginning of the study and after one year (t = 1.07, df = 59, p = 0.28), but a statistically significant difference is observed in the HHIE-S score (t = 3.0, df = 59, p = 0.004). In 17 subjects who did not have a hearing aid at the beginning of the research, during the research, for a period of one year, auditory amplification was carried out and a good correlation between the HHIE and the subscales on the HHIE test/retest was established. Conclusion. Hearing amplification often does not fulfill its goal in individuals – to improve listening and speech intelligibility, which may be a consequence of untimely amplification.

Keywords

• old age
• presbycusis
• hearing impairment
• hearing rehabilitation