Factors Influencing Satisfaction, Perceived Disability and Handicap among Hearing Aid Users in the Turkish Population-Scilight

ENT Updates

Original Article

Factors Influencing Satisfaction, Perceived Disability and Handicap among Hearing Aid Users in the Turkish Population

Downloads

https://doi.org/10.54963/entu.v15i2.1243
Esma Çağal Karabulut, Mustafa Karabulut, Gülce Kirazlı, & Pelin Piştav Akmeşe. (2025). Factors Influencing Satisfaction, Perceived Disability and Handicap among Hearing Aid Users in the Turkish Population. ENT Updates, 15(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.54963/entu.v15i2.1243
Volume 15 Issue 2 (2025)
Copyright (c) 2025 Esma Çağal Karabulut, Mustafa Karabulut, Gülce Kirazlı, Pelin Piştav Akmeşe
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors

  • Esma Çağal Karabulut

    1. Department of Audiology, Institute of Graduate Studies, İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa, İstanbul 34126, Turkey; 2. Audiology Unit, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Hospital, Çanakkale 17020, Turkey
  • Mustafa Karabulut

    Division of Balance Disorders, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, P. Debyelaan 25, 6229 HX Maastricht, The Netherlands
  • Gülce Kirazlı

    Department of Audiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ege University, İzmir 35575, Turkey
  • Pelin Piştav Akmeşe

    Department of Audiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ege University, İzmir 35575, Turkey

Background: To examine factors influencing satisfaction, perceived disability and handicap and to investigate whether satisfaction correlates with perceived disability and handicap among hearing aid (HA) users in the Turkish population. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study involving 133 patients using unilateral or bilateral HAs was conducted. Data on demographic factors, including age, gender, socioeconomic status, degree of hearing loss, HA experience, HA fitting side, daily HA usage, and HA style were collected. Satisfaction, perceived disability and handicap were assessed using the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit and the Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap (AIADH), respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to examine factors influencing satisfaction, perceived disability and handicap. Pearson correlation test was used to assess the correlation of satisfaction with perceived disability and handicap. Results: Age, degree of hearing loss, and HA side were significant predictors of APHAB satisfaction scores, while only degree of hearing loss predicted AIADH scores (p < 0.05). Gender and HA experience did not consistently predict outcomes (p > 0.05). A weak negative correlation was obtained between APHAB satisfaction scores and the AIADH disability scores among HA users (p < 0.05; r: −0.390). Conclusion: The study highlights age, degree of hearing loss, and HA side as predictive factors for HA satisfaction. Furthermore,the degree of hearing loss influences perceived disability and handicap. HA satisfaction, perceived disability and handicap did not exhibit a notable relationship among HA users. These findings underscore the importance of healthcare professionals in addressing the specific needs of individuals with HA users to enhance their overall quality of life.

Keywords:

Hearing Aids Patient Satisfaction Hearing Loss Auditory Disability

References

  1. Ciorba, A.; Bianchini, C.; Pelucchi, S.; et al. The impact of hearing loss on the quality of life of elderly adults. Clin. Interv. Aging. 2012, 7, 159–163.
  2. Spreckley, M.; Macleod, D.; González Trampe, B.; et al. Impact of hearing aids on poverty, quality of life and mental health in guatemala: results of a before and after study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 3470.
  3. Houmøller, S.; Wolff, A.; Möller, S.; et al. Prediction of successful hearing aid treatment in first-time and experienced hearing aid users: Using the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids. Int. J. Audiol. 2022, 61, 119–129.
  4. Pronk, M.; Deeg, D.J.; Kramer, S.E. Hearing status in older persons: A significant determinant of depression and loneliness? Results from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Am. J. Audiol. 2013, 22, 316–320.
  5. Bannon, L.; Picou, E.M.; Bailey, A.; et al. Consumer survey on hearing aid benefit and satisfaction. J. Speech Lang. Hear. Res 2023, 66, 1410–1427.
  6. Heinrich, A.; Ferguson, M.A.; Mattys, S.L. Effects of cognitive load on pure-tone audiometry thresholds in younger and older adults. Ear Hear. 2020, 41, 907–917.
  7. Hickson, L.; Meyer, C.; Lovelock, K.; et al. Factors associated with success with hearing aids in older adults. Int. J. Audiol. 2014, 53, S18–S27.
  8. Kim, G.-Y.; Cho, Y.S.; Byun, H.M.; et al. Factors influencing hearing aid satisfaction in South Korea. Yonsei Med. J. 2022, 63, 570.
  9. Kochkin, S.; Beck, D.L.; Christensen, LA.; et al. MarkeTrak VIII: The impact of the hearing healthcare professional on hearing aid user success. Hear. Rev. 2010, 17, 12–34.
  10. Laakso, M.; Lipsanen, J.; Pajo, K.; et al. Working-age first-time hearing aid users’ self-reported outcomes. Int. J. Audiol. 2023, 62, 877–885.
  11. Nordvik, Ø., Laugen Heggdal, P.O.; Brännström, J.; et al. Generic quality of life in persons with hearing loss: a systematic literature review. BMC Ear Nose Throat Disord. 2018, 18, 1–13.
  12. Fuente, A.; McPherson, B.; Kramer, S.E.; et al. Adaptation of the Amsterdam inventory for auditory disability and handicap into Spanish. Disabil. Rehabil. 2012, 34, 2076–2084.
  13. Öztürk, H.; Karabulut, M.; Baydan-Aran, M.; et al. Validity and reliability of the ERSA questionnaire in Turkish. J. Deaf Stud. Deaf Educ. 2024, enad064.
  14. Mondelli, M.F.C.G.; Rocha, A.V.; Honório, H.M. Degree of satisfaction among hearing aid users. Int. Arch. Otorhinolaryngol. 2013, 17, 051–056.
  15. Lessa, A.H.; Costa, M.J.; Becker, KT.; et al. Satisfaction of hearing aids users with hearing loss of severe and deep degree. Arquivos Internacionais de Otorrinolaringologia. 2010, 14, 338–345.
  16. Cox, R.M.; Alexander, G.C. The abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit. Ear Hear. 1995, 16, 176–186.
  17. Löhler, J.; Wollenberg, B.; Schlattmann, P.; et al. Associations between the probabilities of frequency-specific hearing loss and unaided APHAB scores. Eur. Arch. Oto-Rhino-Laryngol. 2017, 274, 1345–1349.
  18. Fuente, A.; McPherson, Y.B.; Hormazabal, X. Self-reported hearing performance in workers exposed to solvents. Revista de Saúde Pública. 2013, 47, 86–93.
  19. Mujdeci, B.; Inal, O.; Turkyilmaz, M.D.; et al. Turkish translation, reliability and validity of the amsterdam inventory for auditory disability and handicap. J. Indian Speech Lang. Hear. Assoc. 2016, 30, 40–46.
  20. Lopez-Poveda, E.A.; Johannesen, P.T.; Pérez-González, P, et al. Predictors of hearing-aid outcomes. Trends Hear. 2017, 21, 2331216517730526.
  21. Wang, X.; Zheng, Y.; Liu, Y.; et al. Effects of demographic, audiologic, and hearing-aid-related variables on the outcomes of using hearing aids. Eur. Arch. Oto-Rhino-Laryngol. 2022, 1–9.
  22. Chang, W.-H.; Tseng, H.-C.; Chao, T.-K.; et al. Measurement of hearing aid outcome in the elderly: Comparison between young and old elderly. Otolaryngol.—Head Neck Surg. 2008, 138, 730–734.
  23. Meister, H.; Rählmann S, Walger, M.; et al. Hearing aid fitting in older persons with hearing impairment: the influence of cognitive function, age, and hearing loss on hearing aid benefit. Clin. Intervent. Aging 2015, 435–443.
  24. Wu, X.; Ren, Y.; Wang, Q.; et al. Factors associated with the efficiency of hearing aids for patients with age-related hearing loss. Clin. Intervent. Aging 2019, 485–492.
  25. Most, T.; Adi-Bensaid, L.; Shpak, T.; et al. Everyday hearing functioning in unilateral versus bilateral hearing aid users. Am. J. Otolaryngol. 2012, 33, 205–211.
  26. Kozlowski, L.; Ribas, A.; Almeida, G.; et al. Satisfaction of elderly hearing aid users. Int. Arch. Otorhinolaryngol. 2017, 21, 92–96.
  27. Zobay, O.; Naylor, G.; Saunders, GH.; et al. Fitting a Hearing Aid on the Better Ear, Worse Ear, or Both: Associations of Hearing-aid Fitting Laterality with Outcomes in a Large Sample of US Veterans. Trends Hear. 2023, 27, 23312165231195987.
  28. Dammeyer, J.; Chapman, M.; Marschark, M. Experience of hearing loss, communication, social participation, and psychological well-being among adolescents with cochlear implants. Am, Ann, Deaf. 2018, 163, 424–439.
  29. Patel, S.R.; Bouldin, E.; Tey, C.S.; et al. Social isolation and loneliness in the hearing‐impaired pediatric population: A scoping review. Laryngoscope 2021, 131, 1869–1875.
  30. Rieffe, C.; Broekhof, E.; Eichengreen, A.; et al. Friendship and emotion control in pre-adolescents with or without hearing loss. J. Deaf Stud. Deaf Educ. 2018, 23, 209–218.
  31. Metselaar, M.; Maat, B.; Krijnen, P.; et al. Self-reported disability and handicap after hearing-aid fitting and benefit of hearing aids: comparison of fitting procedures, degree of hearing loss, experience with hearing aids and uni-and bilateral fittings. Eur. Arch. Oto-Rhino-Laryngol. 2009, 266, 907–917.
  32. Zhang, L.; Du, H.; You, H. Correlation between the Degree of Hearing Loss and the Levels of Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Tinnitus. Noise Health 2023, 25, 195–201.
  33. Purnami, N.; Mulyaningsih, E.F.; Ahadiah, T.H.; et al. Score of Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) compared to Whisper Test on presbycusis. Indian J. Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg. 2020, 1–5.
  34. Cox, RM.; Alexander, GC.; Beyer, C.M. Norms for the international outcome inventory for hearing aids. J. Am. Acad. Audiol. 2003, 14, 403–413.
  35. Williams, V.A.; Johnson, C.E.; Danhauer, J.L. Hearing aid outcomes: effects of gender and experience on patients' use and satisfaction. J. Am. Acad. Audiol. 2009, 20, 422–432.
  36. Gotowiec, S.; Larsson, J.; Incerti, P.; et al. Understanding patient empowerment along the hearing health journey. Int. J. Audiol. 2022, 61, 148–158.
  37. Tavanai, E.; Khalili, M.E.; Shahidipour, Z.; et al. Hearing handicaps, communication difficulties and depression in the older adults: A comparison of hearing aid users and non-users. Eur. Arch. Oto-Rhino-Laryngol. 2023, 280, 5229–5240.
  38. WHO. International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. WHO: Geneva, Switzerland, 1992.
  39. Heffernan, E.; Coulson, N.S.; Henshaw, H.; et al. Understanding the psychosocial experiences of adults with mild-moderate hearing loss: An application of Leventhal’s self-regulatory model. Int. J. Audiol. 2016, 55, S3–S12.
  40. Wänström, G., Öberg, M., Rydberg, E.; et al. The psychological process from avoidance to acceptance in adults with acquired hearing impairment. Hear Balanc. Commun. 2014, 12, 27–35.
  41. Convery, E.; Hickson, L.; Meyer, C.; et al Predictors of hearing loss self-management in older adults. Disabil. Rehabili. 2019, 41, 2026–2035.
  42. Gomez, R.; Ferguson, M. Improving self-efficacy for hearing aid self-management: the early delivery of a multimedia-based education programme in first-time hearing aid users. Int. J. Audiol. 2020, 59, 272–281.