Effects of Tinnitus Sound Therapy Depending on Stimulating Sound

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the effects of sound therapy according to various types of stimuli for 3 months in people with chronic tinnitus.Methods: Fifty-eight participants with chronic tinnitus based on inclusive and exclusive criteria were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: broadband noise group, nature sound group, and music sound group. Each group received sound therapy for 3 months and the level of stimulus was set to the level of the mixing point. To measure the change in participants’ tinnitus, the Korean version of the Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire (K-TPFQ) was used at the initial and 3-month follow-up sessions.Results: In the mixed model analysis of variance, the main effects of time were significant in almost all the K-TPFQ categories, except for the hearing category. However, the main effect of groups was not significant in most of the K-TPFQ categories, except for the sleep category. The main effects of interaction with group × time were not significant.Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that sound therapy for 3 months could be effective in the management of tinnitus. However, no difference in the effect of sound therapy according to the type of stimuli was noted. These results show that sound therapy could be an effective method for people with tinnitus, regardless of the type of stimulus.