Understanding Self-reported Hearing Disability in Adults With Normal Hearing.
Aryn M Kamerer, Sara E Harris, Judy G Kopun and 2 others
PMID 34759207WHAT IT FOUND
In adults with normal audiograms, self-reported hearing difficulty scores were associated with speech audibility, temporal processing, and impulse-noise history; the model accounted for 41% of the spread in scores.
Key findings
01In adults with clinically normal hearing, a final model containing frequency-modulation detection threshold, speech intelligibility index, and history of impulse noise exposure accounted for 41% of SSQ12 score variance after three outliers were removed.
02After outlier removal, that model classified participants with low SSQ12 scores consistent with reported hearing disability with sensitivity 0.89 and specificity 0.86.
03The largest reported difference between groups was on the SSQ12 item about needing to concentrate when listening, with mean scores 3.6 for the hearing-disability group and 9.1 for the no-disability group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample came from a larger study targeting noise exposure, so it is not representative of the general population. The analysis was post-hoc, and the measures were not chosen prospectively for this question. The model explained 41% of SSQ12 score variance, and a large amount of variance was unexplained. Sex and impulse-noise exposure were highly related in this sample, which may distort the noise-exposure finding. The study did not include a direct sensitive measure of working memory, although the frequency-modulation detection task may depend on it. Three outlier participants were removed from some analyses without further investigation. DPOAEs were collected at only two frequencies, and click-evoked ABR and ABR threshold were not included. Central auditory processing, cognition, and personality traits were not included.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include a conflicts-of-interest or funding declaration. The publication types list NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that impulse-noise exposure, speech audibility, or temporal processing cause hearing disability. This was a post-hoc association analysis in adults selected for normal audiograms, and the model accounted for 41% of the spread in SSQ12 scores.