How The Right Hearing Care Can Protect Your Mental Wellbeing | National Audiology Awareness Month

How The Right Hearing Care Can Protect Your Mental Wellbeing | National Audiology Awareness Month

Exploring a few of the lesser-known benefits of hearing aids and effective hearing loss management.

⁠Many individuals with hearing loss experience a decline in their mental and emotional wellbeing over time — but the right hearing care can make all the difference.

⁠In celebration of National Audiology Awareness Month, we’re sharing some of the less obvious benefits of working with a hearing care professional and using hearing devices.

How does hearing loss threaten emotional wellbeing?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Hearing loss can negatively impact several aspects of mental, emotional, and social wellness.

⁠An individual with hearing loss may experience…

• Feelings of loneliness
• A generally low mood
• Depression
• Or social isolation

As you can probably imagine, many of these issues arise as it becomes harder — and sometimes more fatiguing — to keep up with conversations.

Of course, individuals with hearing loss may face other barriers in a world that often overlooks the impact of disability and stigmatization that could affect their self-perception or wellbeing.

Can hearing aids help with psychological distress?

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fortunately, research suggests that individuals with hearing loss who wear hearing aids report lower levels of psychological distress than those who do not.

One recent study put this in context. Among participants with moderate hearing loss, 77 who did not wear hearing aids reported psychological distress. In participants who did wear hearing aids, this number was less than 23 percent.

Benefits beyond the stigma

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Despite these benefits, many individuals with hearing loss hesitate to access care or use hearing devices — sometimes due to stigma.

⁠In fact, expert research suggests that stigma impacts whether participants choose to be tested and whether they use their corrective devices.

⁠It is our hope that this month and every month, we can celebrate the work of hearing care professionals, combat hearing aid stigma, and motivate readers to seek care for themselves or someone they love.

⁠If you think you might have hearing loss, you can take this free 3-minute screener at home to get your hearing care journey started.

Resources

1. Shukla, A., Harper, M., Pedersen, E., Goman, A., Suen, J. J., Price, C., Applebaum, J., Hoyer, M., Lin, F. R., & Reed, N. S. (2020). Hearing Loss, Loneliness, and Social Isolation: A Systematic Review. Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 162(5), 622–633. https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599820910377
2. Holman, J. A., Hornsby, B. W. Y., Bess, F. H., & Naylor, G. (2021). Can listening-related fatigue influence well-being? Examining associations between hearing loss, fatigue, activity levels and well-being. International journal of audiology, 60(sup2), 47–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/14992027.2020.1853261
3. Bigelow, R. T., Reed, N. S., Brewster, K. K., Huang, A., Rebok, G., Rutherford, B. R., & Lin, F. R. (2020). Association of Hearing Loss With Psychological Distress and Utilization of Mental Health Services Among Adults in the United States. JAMA network open, 3(7), e2010986. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.10986
4. Wallhagen, Margaret I. “The stigma of hearing loss.” The Gerontologist vol. 50,1 (2010): 66-75. doi:10.1093/geront/gnp107