OBJECTIVES: This study explored stigma associated with hearing loss and hearing aid use among adults in Saudi Arabia. It examined the prevalence of hearing loss stigma (HLS) and hearing aid stigma (HAsS) and their associations with hearing aid use and selected demographic characteristics.
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Audiologists should routinely screen for stigma-related attitudes in patients who are resistant to or not using hearing aids, particularly in cultural contexts where stigma may be elevated.
Understanding stigma as a modifiable barrier to hearing aid adoption can help audiologists tailor counseling strategies to improve uptake and adherence.
- 01Cross-sectional design surveying adults with hearing loss in Saudi Arabia.
- 02Examines the relationship between perceived hearing loss stigma and hearing aid use.
- 03Stigma identified as a potential barrier to hearing aid adoption in this population.
- 04Findings may inform culturally sensitive counseling approaches.
- 05Results are geographically specific and may not generalize globally.
Stigma associated with hearing loss is negatively associated with hearing aid use among Saudi adults.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42851450
- DOI
- 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1962320.
- Journal
- Frontiers in Public Health
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 3
- Population
- Adults with hearing loss in Saudi Arabia
- Intervention
- Assessment of hearing loss stigma attitudes
Primary outcomes
Prevalence of hearing loss stigma; Association between stigma and hearing aid use
