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. 2018 May/Jun;39(3):470-474.
doi: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000515.

Hearing Handicap and Speech Recognition Correlate With Self-Reported Listening Effort and Fatigue

Sara Alhanbali  1   2   3 , Piers Dawes  1   2   3 , Simon Lloyd  1   2   3 , Kevin J Munro  1   2   3
Affiliations

Hearing Handicap and Speech Recognition Correlate With Self-Reported Listening Effort and Fatigue

Sara Alhanbali et al. Ear Hear. 2018 May/Jun.

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the correlations between hearing handicap, speech recognition, listening effort, and fatigue.

Design: Eighty-four adults with hearing loss (65 to 85 years) completed three self-report questionnaires: the Fatigue Assessment Scale, the Effort Assessment Scale, and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Elderly. Audiometric assessment included pure-tone audiometry and speech recognition in noise.

Results: There was a significant positive correlation between handicap and fatigue (r = 0.39, p < 0.05) and handicap and effort (r = 0.73, p < 0.05). There were significant (but lower) correlations between speech recognition and fatigue (r = 0.22, p < 0.05) or effort (r = 0.32, p< 0.05). There was no significant correlation between hearing level and fatigue or effort.

Conclusions: Hearing handicap and speech recognition both correlate with self-reported listening effort and fatigue, which is consistent with a model of listening effort and fatigue where perceived difficulty is related to sustained effort and fatigue for unrewarding tasks over which the listener has low control. A clinical implication is that encouraging clients to recognize and focus on the pleasure and positive experiences of listening may result in greater satisfaction and benefit from hearing aid use.

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References

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