Assessment of age-related hearing loss and related everyday functional and psychosocial consequences in older adults: A systematic review of self-report instruments
How can we assess age-related hearing loss and its consequences for older adults’ everyday functioning?
Age-related hearing loss (i.e. presbycusis) is one of the most common chronic conditions among older adults and involves a progressive decline in hearing capacity caused by progressive age-related degenerative changes affecting both the peripheral and central auditory systems. In addition to impairing listening and communication, untreated age-related hearing loss can have important consequences for everyday life and is associated with poorer quality of life, reduced social participation, greater social isolation, psychological and cognitive difficulties, and an increased risk of cognitive decline. Alongside audiometric assessments such as pure-tone audiometry (PTA), self-report instruments provide insight into how older adults perceive their hearing difficulties and their impact on everyday functioning and psychosocial well-being.
This systematic review, recently published in The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, followed PRISMA guidelines and the COSMIN methodology to identify and evaluate self-report instruments used to assess hearing loss and its functional and psychosocial consequences in older adults. The review included 97 validation studies examining 20 instruments, which were divided into three main categories: five instruments assessing listening and communication difficulties; seven assessing communication difficulties and related psychosocial consequences; and eight assessing both listening and communication difficulties and other psychosocial consequences.
The use of reliable and psychometrically valid questionnaires, alongside objective audiometric assessments, can contribute the early identification of unrecognized age-related hearing difficulties and their consequences for everyday life, supporting the development of tailored interventions and improvements in older adults’ quality of life.
Authors:
Enrico Sella, Valentina Bastiani, Diletta Signori, Nicola Prodi, Chiara Visentin, Erika Borella
Article:
https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0046098
