Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale in assessing the benefit in hearing aid users

Abstract

Purpose: To check the degree of reliability of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ), in the assessment of the benefit in hearing aid users. Methods: Thirty hearing impaired adults, candidates for use (novice users) or users whose hearing aids (experienced users) were being replaced, participated in the study. All participants underwent complete audiological evaluation, selection and fitting of hearing aids, which included checking measurements with a probe microphone and assessment of the benefit from using hearing aids with the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) questionnaire. A basic SSQ questionnaire was administered in the form of an interview. Later, four weeks after having started using new hearing aids, the versions B (for novice users) and C (for experienced users) of the SSQ questionnaire were administered. Results: Greater difficulty was identified in the Hearing for speech domain than in the other domains, namely Spatial hearing, and Qualities of hearing. Most participants found all questions easy to understand and reported they were compatible with the situations they dealt with in their daily life. Statistical analysis revealed a high Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (>0.9), which is indicative of good internal consistency between the various items contained in the questionnaire. It proved to be a valuable tool for subjectively assessing communicative performance with and without the use of hearing aids. Conclusion: The SSQ proved to be an instrument that is easy to administer and highly reliable, allowing for the assessment of the benefit in individuals who are undergoing auditory rehabilitation, and which can be administered to individuals using different types of hearing aids.