Subjective reports of trouble tolerating sound in daily life versus loudness discomfort levels

Abstract

Purpose: A retrospective analysis of tonal and speech loudness discomfort levels (LDLs) relative to a subjective report of sound tolerance (SRST) was performed to explore the relation between the 2 commonly used clinical measures. Method: Tonal LDLs and SRST were measured for 139 U.S. military veterans who were recruited into a study providing intervention for tinnitus. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were computed to assess the relation between the tonal and speech LDLs and the SRST. Results: Only weak correlations were found between tonal LDLs and SRST and between speech LDLs and SRST. Conclusion: If LDLs ratings of SRST measured the same phenomenon, the measures would be strongly negatively correlated. The weak correlations found between the measures suggest that LDLs do not accurately represent a patient’s ability to tolerate sound in daily life.