OBJECTIVES: Hearing loss in older adults increases the risk of depression, loneliness, social isolation, cognitive impairments, and dementia; negative impacts that can be potentially attenuated by the adoption of a hearing aid. While objective hearing loss is a good predictor of hearing aid adoption, the subjective impact of hearing-related issues is typically a stronger predictor....
Audiologists should screen for boredom proneness and attentional difficulties during intake, as these traits may cause patients to underestimate the benefit of hearing aids and resist adoption despite poor subjective hearing.
This paradox reveals a hidden psychological barrier to hearing aid uptake that standard audiometric screening misses, with direct implications for counseling strategies.
- 01Boredom proneness and attentional difficulties correlate with worse self-reported hearing in older adults.
- 02Despite poorer subjective hearing, these individuals adopt hearing aids at lower rates — a paradox.
- 03Cognitive-affective traits may distort how people perceive and respond to their hearing difficulties.
- 04Standard audiometric thresholds alone may not predict who seeks amplification.
- 05Findings published in Ear & Hearing, a peer-reviewed audiology journal.
Boredom proneness predicts worse age-related subjective hearing in older adults.
studypartially supportedAttentional difficulties predict lower rates of hearing aid adoption despite worse subjective hearing.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42244439
- DOI
- 10.1097/AUD.0000000000001840.
- Journal
- Ear and Hearing
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Older adults with age-related hearing difficulties
- Intervention
- Assessment of boredom proneness and attentional difficulties as predictors of subjective hearing and hearing aid adoption
Primary outcomes
Subjective hearing ability ratings; Hearing aid adoption rate