Abstract
ObjectiveIndividually, vision and hearing impairments have been linked to higher levels of anxiety and depression. We investigated the effect of dual sensory impairment (difficulty seeing and hearing) in a large representative sample of Spanish adults.MethodsData from a total of 23,089 adults (age range: 15–103 years, 45.9% men) from the Spanish National Health Survey 2017 were analyzed. Self-reported difficulty of seeing and hearing (exposures), and depression and chronic anxiety (outcomes) were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression was assessed for difficulty with vision alone, hearing alone and with difficulty with both, adjusting for gender, age, marital status, living as a couple, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI, physical activity, use of glasses/contact lenses, and hearing aid.ResultsVisual difficulty, hearing difficulty, and dual difficulties were all associated with significantly higher odds for depression (ORs 2.367, 2.098, and 3.852, respectively) and for chronic anxiety (ORs 1.983, 1.942, and 3.385, respectively). Dual sensory difficulty was associated with higher odds ratios for depression and anxiety when compared to either impairment alone.ConclusionDual sensory difficulty is associated with significantly higher odds of anxiety and depression when compared to either vision or hearing difficulty alone. Appropriate interventions are needed to address any reversible causes of vision and hearing as well as anxiety and depression in people in these specific groups.
Highlights
Depression and anxiety are among the most prevalent mental health disorders globally
We aim to investigate, using cross-sectional associations, the risk of anxiety and depression in people with seeing difficulty only, hearing difficulty only and difficulties with both seeing and hearing in a large representative sample of Spanish adults
For the model to predict chronic anxiety, the final model was a significant improvement in fit over the null model [χ2(28) = 907,403, p < 0.001] and the deviance chi-square indicated good fit [χ2(8352) = 6,050.613, p = 1.000]. In this large representative sample of Spanish adults, seeing difficulty and hearing difficulty were both associated with significantly higher odds for depression and anxiety, with seeing difficulty showing a slightly higher risk for both mental health indices
Summary
Depression and anxiety are among the most prevalent mental health disorders globally. Depression affects around 264 million people globally, and is characterized by persistent sadness, lack of interest or pleasure in previously rewarding or enjoyable activities, problems with sleep and appetite, tiredness and poor concentration (American Psychiatric Association, 2020; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020; World Health Organization, 2020a,b). In one large representative sample of Korean adults, it was found that the risk of depression increased significantly in people who had visual impairment (adjusted HR = 1.15, P = 0.036) and in those who were blind (adjusted HR = 1.31, P = 0.016) (Choi et al, 2018). Systematic reviews and meta-analysis demonstrate significantly higher odds of depression in older adults with hearing losses (Adigun, 2017; Lawrence et al, 2020)
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