OBJECTIVES: Hearing loss affects millions of people worldwide and is linked to psychosocial consequences such as loneliness, depression, and anxiety. Self-reported hearing problems may offer unique insights into emotional and social functioning beyond what audiometric tests reveal. Evidence on the association between self-perceived auditory functioning and psychosocial health in adults remains scarce....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Audiologists should routinely screen for psychosocial health (loneliness, depression, anxiety) in patients who report hearing difficulty, as self-perceived auditory disability is longitudinally associated with these outcomes.
Confirming a longitudinal link between self-perceived hearing disability and psychosocial decline strengthens the case for integrating mental health screening into audiological care pathways.
- 01Longitudinal cohort design strengthens causal inference compared to cross-sectional studies.
- 02Self-perceived auditory disability—not just audiometric thresholds—was the key exposure.
- 03Outcomes included loneliness, depression, and anxiety, covering multiple psychosocial domains.
- 04Published in Ear and Hearing, a leading peer-reviewed audiology journal.
- 05Findings support a holistic, patient-centered approach to hearing rehabilitation.
Self-perceived auditory disability is associated with worse psychosocial health outcomes including loneliness, depression, and anxiety.
studysupported- PMID
- 42929767
- DOI
- 10.1097/AUD.0000000000001899.
- Journal
- Ear and Hearing
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- General adult population cohort with varying degrees of self-perceived auditory disability
- Intervention
- Self-perceived auditory disability (exposure)
- Comparator
- Participants without or with lesser self-perceived auditory disability
Primary outcomes
Loneliness; Depression; Anxiety
