Factors Associated With Hearing-Related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents With Hearing Loss

Abstract

Objective: As the impact of hearing loss extends beyond auditory functiopatient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) measuring quality of life (QOL) arincreasingly incorporated in the management and follow-up of children withearing loss. The Hearing Environments and Reflection on Quality of Li(HEAR-QL) is a hearing-specific QOL tool, providing insight into the impact hearing loss on daily life. This study aims to identify factors associated whearing-related QOL in children and adolescents with hearing loss. Method: Clinical data of 136 subjects (84 children and 52 adolescents) aged 18 years with unilateral and bilateral hearing loss, attending our audiology oupatient clinic at the Erasmus MC Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam, tNetherlands, were used. The Dutch HEAR-QL questionnaires for children anadolescents were used to assess hearing-related QOL. Characteristics of hearing rehabilitation; hearing status; and the demographic factors gender, age, aneducation type were explored as potential factors associated with hearing-related QOL, using group comparisons, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Univariate analysis showed that children in regular education scored sinificantly higher on hearing-specific QOL for the Activities subscale compared those attending education for the deaf and hard of hearing. Adolescents with heing aids had higher HEAR-QL scores compared to those with cochlear implanFurthermore, speech recognition in both quiet and noise was significantly assocated with hearing-related QOL in the adolescent age group. Multiple linear regresion analysis confirmed higher QOL in adolescents with hearing aids and identifispeech recognition in quiet at 45 dB SPL as a significant predictor of hearirelated QOL in adolescents. In children, univariate analyses revealed no significaassociations with hearing device characteristics or auditory performance. Conclusions: The main finding of this study was that the type of hearing devand aided speech recognition scores were associated with hearing-specific QOL in adolescents, illustrating the vital contribution of hearing rehabilitation daily life functioning. The increasing use of QOL PROMs in children and adolcents with hearing loss will facilitate further exploration of potential associatefactors and could increase our insight into this vulnerable population group. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.30795119.