The Influence of Social Support and Coping on Quality of Life Among Elderly With Age-Related Hearing Loss

Abstract

Purpose: The consequences of hearing loss hinder the everyday life of older adults and are associated with reduced well-being. The research aim was to explore the influence of hearing problems, various coping strategies, and perceived social support on quality of life.

Method: Sixty-five older adults with age-related hearing loss (≥55 years) in Austria participated and completed a paper-pencil survey with standardized questionnaires: Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (Ventry and Weinstein, 1982), Assessment for Coping and Stress (Laireiter, 1997), short form of the Social Support Questionnaire (Fydrich, Sommer, Tydecks, & Brähler, 2009), and World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Brief Version (World Health Organization, 1996).

Results: Quality of life was predicted by perceived social support and the number of comorbid diseases (i.e., the physical, psychological, environmental, and social quality of life was better the greater the extent of perceived social support and poorer the more diseases from which the participants suffered).

Conclusions: Perceived social support may be a relevant factor to focus on in auditory rehabilitation programs, in particular, for participants who communicate little support in hearing-related situations and are, hence, at a relative disadvantage. The involvement of significant others in counseling could facilitate the everyday life for older adults with age-related hearing loss and their significant others.