Experience of conductive hearing loss and impacts of hearing aid use throughout life.
Thomas Hampton, Manuel Loureiro, Kevin Mortimer and 1 others
PMID 39723158WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with conductive hearing loss described a lifelong struggle with stigma, particularly in school and around masculine norms.
Many delayed seeking help or rejected devices to avoid the visible announcement of deafness. Acceptance often came only later in life.
Key findings
01Participants described early school experiences of bullying and marginalisation that had lasting impacts on their self-perception and identity into adulthood.
02The visibility of hearing devices was a major barrier to uptake, with many participants preferring to hide their deafness to avoid stigma or conform to norms of typicality.
03Traditional ideas of masculinity influenced some male participants' rejection of devices, viewing the need for assistive technology as a weakness or a threat to their perceived strength.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study did not achieve formal data saturation, and the sample was relatively small (33 participants). No participants who use sign language as their primary language were included, limiting the view to those who engage with spoken/written English and potentially hearing-aid based rehabilitation. The lead researcher was a hearing surgeon, and the team was typically hearing, which may have influenced the interpretation of themes regarding medical intervention and device value. Participants were recruited from a single region in the South of the UK, so experiences may not reflect those in other regions or socioeconomic contexts. The interviews were part of a study on a new device, which may have primed participants to discuss technology in specific ways.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by the Wellcome Trust and The TWJ Foundation. The authors declare that neither the funders nor Raspberry Pi (manufacturer of the device studied in the parallel quantitative arm) had any role in study design, data collection, analysis, or manuscript preparation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the participants' eventual acceptance of devices as evidence that early intervention prevents long-term psychosocial harm. The study shows that early negative experiences persisted into adulthood for many, suggesting that addressing stigma and school-based support is critical alongside technological solutions.