A Moderated Mediation Model Linking Speech-in-Noise Exposure, Speech Perception in Noise Ability, Loneliness, and Depression

Hearing loss is associated with elevated levels of loneliness and depression, but the factors accounting for these associations remain unclear. This study examined whether real-world hearing behaviors-time spent in speech-in-noise (SiN) environments and speech perception in noise (SPIN) ability-are associated with loneliness and depression in young adults with normal hearing, using a moderated mediation model.

Audiologists should be aware that poor speech-in-noise ability may indirectly contribute to depression via loneliness, but the cross-sectional or observational design means no practice change is warranted until replication with stronger designs confirms causal direction.

This study adds psychosocial depth to the hearing-loss-depression link by proposing a testable pathway through loneliness, which could eventually inform holistic rehabilitation models.

1. 01Speech-in-noise difficulty in adults with hearing loss is modeled as a predictor of loneliness and subsequently depression.
2. 02A moderation component suggests the strength of these relationships varies across subgroups or contextual factors.
3. 03Published in JSLHR (2026), indicating peer-reviewed scrutiny of the model.
4. 04Findings align with growing evidence linking untreated hearing loss to adverse mental health outcomes.
5. 05Clinical relevance depends on study design details (e.g., sample size, cross-sectional vs. longitudinal) not fully disclosed in the abstract.

PMID

42340754

DOI

10.1044/2026_JSLHR-25-00615.

Journal

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

2b

Population

Adults with hearing loss

Intervention

Speech-in-noise exposure and speech perception in noise ability