Abstract
Background. The incidence of hearing loss is constantly increasing and according to the World Health Organization, by 2050, 900 million people will suffer from hearing loss. The main Objective of the study was to determine the differences between the severity of the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression in participants with varying degrees of sensorineural hearing loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. An additional aim was to examine the extent and manner in which protective face masks impact the communication of people with hearing loss. Matrials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, which included 160 patients (81 men and 79 women) with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The patients’ age range was 50 to 80 years. Depending on the degree of hearing loss or pure-tone threshold, the participants were divided into four groups: mild hearing loss, moderate hearing loss, severe hearing loss and profound hearing loss. The research used the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and a questionnaire in which the participants reported whether surgical face masks (medical three-layer masks) worn by speakers makes communication difficult, to what extent and in what way. Results: The average age of the patients was 67.97 ± 8.16. A significant correlation was found between the degree of hearing loss and communication difficulties caused by the use of protective face masks (p < 0.001). For patients with severe and profound hearing loss, communication is significantly more difficult (50.0% and 45.0% respectively) when the interlocutor wears a face mask. There is a significant correlation between the degree of hearing loss and the way in which communication is made more difficult when the interlocutor wears a face mask (p < 0.001). A statistically significant difference was determined between the degrees of hearing loss in all measured subscales: stress (p = 0.024), anxiety (p = 0.026) and depression (p = 0.016). Conclusions: We have determined that face masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly hamper communication among the study groups (p = 0.007) and there is a significant correlation between the degree of sensorineural hearing loss and the presence of symptoms in all three DASS-21 subscales, meaning that the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression were more intense in severe and profound hearing loss.
Highlights
The incidence of hearing loss is constantly increasing and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), hearing loss had been determined in 466 million people worldwide until 2018
Protective face masks used in the COVID-19 pandemic affected communication differently among the study groups and the differences were statistically significant (p = 0.007)
The main aim of the study was to determine the differences in the severity of the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in participants with varying degrees of sensorineural hearing loss and to examine the extent to which and how communication is affected for people with hearing loss when the interlocutor uses a protective face mask
Summary
The incidence of hearing loss is constantly increasing and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), hearing loss had been determined in 466 million people worldwide until 2018. Fear and anxiety develop as adaptive reactions to uncertainty and impending danger which are present in the COVID-19 pandemic [12] Protective measures such as face masks and physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic can further exacerbate the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression in people with sensorineural hearing loss [13]. Conclusions: We have determined that face masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly hamper communication among the study groups (p = 0.007) and there is a significant correlation between the degree of sensorineural hearing loss and the presence of symptoms in all three DASS-21 subscales, meaning that the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression were more intense in severe and profound hearing loss
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