Self-reported disability and handicap in the population in relation to pure-tone threshold, age, sex and type of hearing loss

Abstract

A self-administered questionnaire concerning auditory disability and handicap was completed by 1691 subjects who were part of a two-stage random sample of the UK adult population. A principal components analysis of questionnaire replies identified four components. They were interpreted as (a) disability for everyday speech, (b) disability for speech-in-quiet, (c) localisation, and (d) hearing handicap. Components (a) and (d) were the strongest, accounting for 68% of the variance. Subjects also performed pure-tone audiometry amongst other tests. Audiometric information was well described by a two-parameter model characterised by low-to-mid-frequency loss and high-frequency slope. All four components increased progressively with increasing low-to-mid-frequency loss, independent of high-frequency slope. They were best correlated with a binaural average over 0.5, 1 and 2 kHz weighted 4:1 in favour of the better ear, out of several audiometric descriptors examined. Sex and socio-economic group did not generally affect disability or handicap, but people of similar hearing impairment reported less disability and handicap as age increased. This is interpreted as over-compensation for the effects of age in self-report. There were three unexpected findings which may entail some changes in current thinking on the relationship between auditory impairment and self-perceived disability/handicap. Hearing losses incorporating a conductive component in the better ear were more disabling and handicapping than sensorineural losses of equal magnitude. Localisation ability and, to a lesser extent, general hearing handicap were more highly correlated with measures of impairment in the worse ear than in the better ear. There was little evidence for the concept of a 'low fence' in the relationship between impairment and either disability or handicap.