DSL<sub<child</sub<-Algorithm-Based Hearing Aid Fitting Can Improve Speech Comprehension in Mildly Distressed Patients with Chronic Tinnitus and Mild-to-Moderate Hearing Loss

Background: Patients with chronic tinnitus and mild-to-moderate hearing loss (HL) can experience difficulties with speech comprehension (SC). The present study investigated SC benefits of a two-component hearing therapy. Methods: One-hundred-seventy-seven gender-stratified patients underwent binaural DSL<sub<child</sub<-algorithm-based hearing aid (HA) fitting and conducted auditory training exercises. SC was measured at four timepoints under three noise interference conditions each (0, 55, and 65 dB): after screening (t<sub<0</sub<; without HAs), HA- fitting (t<sub<1</sub<), additional auditory training (t<sub<2</sub<), and at 70-day follow-up (t<sub<3</sub<). Repeated-measure analyses of covariance investigated the effects of HAs (t<sub<0</sub<–t<sub<1</sub<), auditory training (t<sub<1</sub<–t<sub<2</sub<), and the stability of the combined effect (t<sub<2</sub<–t<sub<3</sub<) on SC per noise interference level and HL subgroup. Correlational analyses examined associations between SC, age, and psychological indices. Results: Patients showed mildly elevated tinnitus-related distress, which was negatively associated with SC in patients with mild but not moderate HL. At 0 dB, the intervention lastingly improved SC for patients with mild and moderate HL; at 55 dB, for patients with mild HL only. These effects were mainly driven by HAs. Conclusions: The here-investigated treatment demonstrates some SC-benefit under conditions of no or little noise interference. The auditory training component warrants further investigation regarding non-audiological treatment outcomes..

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2022

Erschienen:

2022

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:11

Enthalten in:

Journal of Clinical Medicine - 11(2022), 5244, p 5244

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Benjamin Boecking [VerfasserIn]
Leonie Rausch [VerfasserIn]
Stamatina Psatha [VerfasserIn]
Amarjargal Nyamaa [VerfasserIn]
Juliane Dettling-Papargyris [VerfasserIn]
Christine Funk [VerfasserIn]
Kevin Oppel [VerfasserIn]
Petra Brueggemann [VerfasserIn]
Matthias Rose [VerfasserIn]
Birgit Mazurek [VerfasserIn]

Links:

doi.org [kostenfrei]
doaj.org [kostenfrei]
www.mdpi.com [kostenfrei]
Journal toc [kostenfrei]

Themen:

Auditory training
Hearing aids
Medicine
Mild-to-moderate hearing loss
Psychological epiphenomena
R
Tinnitus-related distress

doi:

10.3390/jcm11175244

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

DOAJ033531102